The Secretary of State has reappointed Professor Dame Elan Closs Stephens DBE as Member for Wales on the BBC Board

Professor Dame Elan is the Pro Chancellor of Aberystwyth University. She serves currently as the Electoral Commissioner for Wales. She is the Chair of the Welsh Government’s Public Leaders Forum for Government sponsored arms length bodies. Dame Elan has a particular interest in cultural and communications policy and in governance. She has served on many cultural bodies including the BFI and the British Council. She served for two terms as Chair of S4C and became the Wales member of the BBC Trust. She has been a member of the Wales Permanent Secretary’s Board where she was Chair of Corporate Governance. Dame Elan is a native Welsh speaker and is a strong advocate for the language having served as Vice Chairman of the Welsh Language Board. She is also keen to further career opportunities and training for young people within the creative industries.

The base fee for this role is £33,000 per annum. A committee chair fee of £5,000 is paid on top of the base fee for chairing one of the permanent committees of the Board, reflecting the additional time and responsibility required. Dame Elan also Chairs the BBC Wales Committee.

This reappointment has been made in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments, the process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. The Government’s Governance Code requires that any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years is declared. This is defined as holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation or candidature for election. Dame Elan has not declared any activity.