Press Releases

The BBC has appointed Robert Webb QC as the non-executive Chairman of BBC Worldwide. He succeeds Etienne de Villiers who steps down this month.

Robert Webb begins his new appointment in October 2009.

He will continue as a BBC non-executive director, but will step down as Chairman of the Fair Trading committee of the BBC Executive Board and will cease to be a member of that committee.

Mark Thompson, BBC Director-General, said: "Robert Webb has been an extremely effective non-executive director of the BBC.

"His extensive corporate experience combined with his passion for the BBC make him ideally placed to work with John Smith and the BBC Worldwide board in steering BBC Worldwide through the next stage of its development as a company."

John Smith, Chief Executive, BBC Worldwide, said: "Robert's experience at plc board level will be invaluable to BBC Worldwide. He is widely respected and a leader in his field.

"I am certain his commercial acumen will provide us with the necessary levels of support and challenge as we enter the next phase of our business strategy."

Robert Webb said: "BBC Worldwide has at its heart a mission to maximise the value of BBC intellectual property.

"It creates and promotes not only BBC content but other brands as well, saving the UK licence fee payer money and maximising their investment.

"The people who do this have a great reputation in the whole industry. I look forward to working with them."

After reading law at Exeter University Robert Webb was called to the Bar in 1971 and appointed QC in 1988. He was Head of Chambers, 5 Bell Yard between 1988 and 1998 and a Recorder of the Crown Court from 1993 to 1998.

He was General Counsel at British Airways from 1998 to 2009 where, in addition to legal and regulatory matters, he was responsible for government and industry affairs, safety, security, risk management and the environment.

He is Chairman of Autonomy, a non-executive director of the London Stock Exchange and of Argent Group PLC, and was appointed a non-executive director of the BBC in December 2006.

Notes to Editors

1. Etienne de Villiers was appointed non-executive Chairman of the BBC Commercial Holdings Board in 2005 and was subsequently appointed Chairman of BBC Worldwide in a restructuring of the BBC's commercial boards in January 2006. He announced his intention to step down as Chairman earlier this month, and leaves the board on 30 September 2009. Other independent non-executive directors who continue on the board of BBC Worldwide include Thomas Geitner and Simon Clift.

2. The BBC Trust announced changes to the governance of BBC Worldwide on 17 September 2009, which included the following decisions: the BBC Worldwide Board, which is a subsidiary board of the BBC's Executive Board, will become smaller and more focused on the delivery of a rolling three-year commercial strategy agreed by the Trust. The new chairman of the BBC Worldwide board must be a non-executive director from the BBC's Executive Board – thereby strengthening the link between the two boards and the role of the BBC's public service arm as the shareholder in the company.

3. The BBC Trust published an interim statement on its review of the BBC's commercial activities on 4 March 2009: BBC Trust press release.

4. In July 2009 BBC Worldwide announced revenues exceeding £1billion in its Annual Review of 2008/2009, with total income generated outside the UK increasing to 51.3% (2007/2008: 46.6%) and 34% of total revenues coming from businesses created in the last five years.

With 44 wholly owned or joint venture channels in more than 100 countries, UK-originated content is now available in over 300 million homes worldwide. Additionally, deals with companies such as YouTube and Apple iTunes have ensured that BBC content is also available to the multiplatform audience. BBC Worldwide has also exploited the BBC's leading brands – such as Doctor Who, Planet Earth and Top Gear – on a global scale covering magazines and consumer products (DVDs, music, books, learning and audiobooks).

BBC Press Office