Indian-origin Samir Shah chosen to chair BBC after Richard Sharp exits

Shah, 71, has been the chief executive of Juniper TV, a production company, since the late 1990s.

He has a 40-year career in television, having held positions including head of current affairs and non-executive director at the BBC and London Weekend Television, an ITV commercial network franchise, according to Reuters.

"Shah has a wealth of experience to bring to the position of BBC Chair," Frazer said in a post on X.

"He has a clear ambition to see the BBC succeed in a rapidly changing media landscape, and I have no doubt he will provide the support and scrutiny that the BBC needs to meet the challenges of the future."

"The BBC has a great place in British life and a unique duty to reach a wide audience right across the country and I will do all I can to ensure it fulfils this in an increasingly competitive market," Shah told Reuters.

According to the report, before Shah is formally appointed, a parliamentary committee of lawmakers will question him.

The previous chair, Richard Sharp, resigned in April after failing to disclose that he had helped secure a $1 million loan for then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson, according to the report.

The BBC is politically independent and funded by licence fees paid by TV-watching households, but its chair is chosen by the government.