³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ

Broadcaster and documentary producer Phil George has been appointed as the new chairman of Arts Council Wales.

He will step down from his roles at both TV production company Green Bay and National Theatre Wales (NTW).

Mr George will succeed Dai Smith on 1 April for a three-year term.

Deputy Minister for Culture Ken Skates said Mr George was "passionate about the arts being for everyone, regardless of their background or where they live".

He said Mr George had considerable knowledge of the arts and creative industries and the ACW faced a period of significant change and challenge of reduced budgets.

Mr George said: "I have a strong conviction that excellence, boldness and innovation in the arts can go hand in hand with a commitment to access and active participation across the diverse communities of our nation."

Born in the Rhondda, Mr George is a former head of arts, music and features at ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Wales and is also advisor to the Creative Economy project at Cardiff University.

Green Bay's fellow creative director John Geraint, who established the company with Mr George in 2001, said: "It will be a real wrench for us to see Phil go - and it'll be a wrench for him, I know, to leave after 15 remarkable years".

Analysis by Huw Thomas, ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Wales arts and media correspondent

Phil George is a respected figure among the arts companies that he'll now oversee.

His professional life has taken him from a top job at the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ to jointly running the independent TV company Green Bay, whose recent credits include the historical series The Story of Wales.

But being chairman of ACW will require a different focus as he prepares to steer the organisation through a difficult financial period.

ACW's budget has been cut repeatedly in recent years, forcing it to reconsider which organisations it funds, while the council's management team have laid off staff at its offices in Cardiff Bay.

Phil George's chairmanship of National Theatre Wales, which has thrived since its inception, has given him a ringside seat to observe the challenges facing the arts in Wales.

But chairing the ACW puts him at the heart of Welsh cultural life, and centre stage for the tough decisions affecting the industry over the next three years.