NRI to be The First Woman Head of BBC

NRI to be The First Woman Head of BBC
Wednesday, November 29, 2006

LONDON: India-born Dr Chitra Bharucha is set to be the first woman to head the BBC, albeit in an acting capacity, following the resignation of BBC chairperson Michael Grade.

Bharucha, vice chairperson of the recently formed BBC Trust – which will take on the responsibility of running BBC come January – has been named acting chair of the Trust.

As of now, Anthony Salz, who is deputy chairperson of the BBC’s board of governors, has taken over from Grade, who is joining BBC’s rival in Britain, ITV.

When the Trust assumes its responsibilities in January, Bharucha will become the acting chairperson of the BBC Corporation, till a full-time chairperson is appointed.

Born in Madurai, India, Bharucha has lived in Britain since 1972. She shifted from medicine to media in 1996 when she joined the BBC Broadcasting Council for Northern Ireland, a position she stayed in till 2003.

Photo: Bab Al Bahrain, Manama, Baréin, 2024-08-18, DD 72 by Diego Delso, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.