Last updated March 2009

Mark Byford (born 1958) is Deputy Director-General of the BBC and head of all its journalism.

As Chair of the BBC's Journalism Board, he has overall responsibility for the world's largest and most trusted news organisation providing extensive news and current affairs services across radio, television and interactive media for the UK and the world.

His responsibilities also include Editorial Policy, BBC Sport and the BBC's planning for the London 2012 Olympic Games.

He joined the BBC in 1979, aged 20, as a "temporary holiday relief assistant" working as a researcher over the summer holiday in his local television newsroom in Leeds.

He is an award-winning journalist and editor with 30 years' experience within the BBC.

In 1981, aged just 22, he produced the Royal Television Society's Regional News Programme of the Year – a Look North special on unemployment in the north of England.

The following year he produced the award-winning edition again, this time with South Today in Southampton.

He joined the BBC's Board of Management in 1996 as Director, Regional Broadcasting.

Two years later he became Director of the BBC World Service and went on to establish the BBC's Global News Division.

Under his leadership at that time BBC World Service achieved its highest audience ever of more than 150 million listeners and won prestigious Sony and Webby awards.

In January 2004 he became Deputy Director-General of the BBC but within three weeks of his appointment Greg Dyke resigned as Director-General, following the publication of the Hutton Report, and Mark Byford became Acting Director-General for five months.

With no substantive Chairman and Director-General, he had to stabilise the organisation as it faced the biggest crisis in its history.

When Mark Thompson was appointed Director-General in June 2004, he enhanced Mark Byford's role as his number two to be head of all the BBC's journalism at UK, international and local levels, the first time such an appointment has been made.

Born in Castleford, West Yorkshire, he was educated at Lincoln School before studying Law at the University of Leeds.

He is married to Hilary and they have five children.

His hobbies include family life, sport and rock music.

He supports Leeds United football team and has a well-known reputation for an encyclopaedic knowledge of rock and pop music, especially The Beatles.

Mark Byford's expenses