Biographies

Chief Operating officer

Caroline Thomson is Chief Operating Officer for the BBC and led the BBC's bid for a successful review of its Charter.

She has responsibility for the BBC's Policy, Legal, Strategy and Distribution functions and responsibility for all the BBC's major infrastructure projects – digital switchover, the proposed move to North West England and all the BBC's property plans.

She was previously Director of Policy and Legal and then Strategy, from July 2000, and before that Deputy Director of BBC World Service, a post she had held since 1996.

She is a member of the BBC's Executive Board and reports to the Director-General.

In her current post Caroline manages the BBC's main policies in regulatory and compliance areas and freedom of information as well as the BBC's Legal Affairs unit.

Caroline has responsibility for strategic analysis and planning and for the distribution of BBC services and is particularly involved in the development of the BBC's digital strategy.

Caroline has worked in broadcasting for 30 years, joining the BBC as a journalist trainee and going on to work on a range of BBC radio and television series including Analysis and Panorama.

She also worked as political assistant to Roy Jenkins, then leader of the SDP, during the 1983 General Election campaign.

She joined Channel 4 as Commissioning Editor, Science Finance and Industry in 1984 and went on to start Business Daily and commission the Equinox series.

In 1990 she was appointed Head of Corporate Affairs, reporting to the then Chief Executive, Michael Grade.

Caroline Thomson was educated at Mary Datchelor Grammar School, Camberwell, and the University of York where she took a degree in History and Economics.