Government has today announced the appointment of the Scotland and England representatives for the new BBC Unitary Board following an open and competitive recruitment process. Steve Morrison has been confirmed as the new BBC Board member for Scotland, and Dr Ashley Steel will be the new Board member for England.

Overall the new BBC Board, which will be responsible for overseeing a strong and independent BBC, will be made up of 14 members:

• a Chair appointed via a public appointments process coordinated by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). The selection panel for this appointment was chaired by a Public Appointments Assessor, nominated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments;
• four non-executive board members representing each of the devolved nations, also appointed through a public appointments process coordinated by DCMS;
• five non-executive board members appointed by the BBC Board; and
• four executive members appointed by the BBC, including the BBC Director General, Tony Hall.

Steve Morrison, the new Board member for Scotland, has a career spanning almost four decades in broadcasting, and was previously Chief Executive of Granada PLC as well as founding Chief Executive of independent production companies group All3Media and subsequently its Chairman, now retired. He is currently the Rector of Edinburgh University.

Steve Morrison said:

As a Scot who has spent his life in television it is a great honour to be the first Scottish Member of the new BBC Board. The BBC is taking important steps to increase programme production both in Scotland and for its network channels. I look forward to contributing my broadcasting experience to the new Board and encouraging the growth of the creative industries in Scotland.

Dr Ashley Steel, the new Board member for England brings with her extensive board experience, and was previously Vice Chairman at professional services firm, KPMG.

Dr Ashley Steel said:

I am delighted to be joining the new BBC Board as the non-executive director representing England. The BBC is one of the best and most respected media organisations in the world, and I look forward to working with Sir David Clementi and colleagues.

The recruitment for a Board member for Northern Ireland will re-commence once the new Northern Ireland executive is in place.

No Board member for Wales has been appointed and another competition will now be launched to fill the vacancy.

ENDS

Media enquiries: DCMS Press Office 020 7211 6145

Notes to Editors:

Steve Morrison’s career in broadcasting began at BBC Radio Scotland (Edinburgh) and BBC Television (Glasgow). He then moved to Granada where he worked as both Head of Regional Programmes and Director of Programmes, eventually becoming Chief Executive of Granada plc. During his time at Granada he was joint Chairman of the Granada/Scottish Television airtime sales house.

Steve was the founding Chief Executive of independent production companies group All3Media, and subsequently its Chairman, now retired. All3Media became the leading group of British owned Independent TV Production companies before it was sold to a joint venture of Discovery and Liberty Media.

Steve also holds an Honorary Doctorate of Social Science from Edinburgh and is currently the Rector of Edinburgh University.

Currently Dr Ashley Steel is a non executive director on the boards of National Express plc, the Civil Aviation Authority and Ince & Co, an international law firm. She is a founding member of the global advisory board for Out Leadership, a New York based organisation helping Chairmen and CEO’s on LGBT business issues. Previously, Ashley was Vice Chairman at professional services firm, KPMG. During her time with the firm she worked in over 40 countries advising both listed companies and national governments. She also held global leadership roles for the firm’s transport and infrastructure practice and, while based in the USA, for its global technology and media practice.

The appointment process was run in accordance with the OCPA Code of Practice. It is a requirement of the Code that political activity is declared; both candidates have declared no such political activity. Remuneration for the role of BBC Board Members is £33,000 per annum.

Under the terms of the BBC Royal Charter, appointment of the BBC Chair and members is made by HM The Queen on recommendation from Ministers (the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, through the Prime Minister).

9 Mar 2017

Oil was never the basis for the Scottish economy, but merely a bonus, the Deputy First Minister claimed today.

The admission exposes a split at the top of the SNP in the same week its top financial adviser Andrew Wilson said the complete opposite, and that the nationalists had depended on oil revenues for their financial projections.

Today at First Minister’s Questions, Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson challenged Mr Swinney – who was standing in for Nicola Sturgeon – on the contradiction.

However, he refused to explain the differences in opinion, and also dodged the issue of a fresh SNP drive for separation.

It was reported this morning that Nicola Sturgeon regards the autumn of 2018 as the “common sense” time for a referendum re-run.

This is despite repeated polls showing people don’t want it, and little movement in polls Ms Sturgeon said would need to shift significantly before she called another referendum.

Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson said:

“It may have been a new face in the First Minister’s seat, but the bluster was the same as ever.

“We now have a very stark contradiction at the heart of the SNP.

“Its chief financial adviser says oil was the basis on which a separate Scotland would have been built.

“But the Deputy First Minister says it was merely planned as a bonus.

“They can’t both be right, and this contradiction exposes that the entire economic prospectus on which the SNP based its case for independence was bogus.

“Nicola Sturgeon thinks it’s ‘common sense’ to have another divisive and unwanted referendum next year.

“But most Scots don’t want to go back to that division and uncertainty, and most think this irresponsible talk will only damage Scotland’s economy further.

“That’s the kind of common sense the SNP should be deploying.”

SNP strategy chief Andrew Wilson said oil was in fact the “basis” for his party’s independence plans in 2014. This is despite John Swinney previously saying it wasn’t the basis, but “a bonus”:
http://www.scottishconservatives.com/2017/03/never-mind-indyref2-snp-must-own-up-to-the-lies-of-indyref1/

Nicola Sturgeon said today 2018 would be the “common sense” time for another referendum:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/03/09/nicola-sturgeon-autumn-2018-common-sense-time-second-independence/

Etta Cohen founded ‘Forward Ladies’ in 1999. She began her organisation by meeting with locally employed women and women who had founded their own businesses. ‘Forward Ladies’ now supports more than 1,300 business women across the country and hosts more than 300 events a year.

The honour has been given as the world recognises International Women’s Day on 8 March, where the social, economic, cultural and political achievement of women is celebrated.

Minister for Small Business, Consumers and Corporate Responsibility Margot James said:

This honour is a tribute to Etta’s outstanding commitment to raising the profile of women in the work place.

As the world celebrates International Women’s Day this week, it’s important to remember how much more successful our economy is thanks to the increased contribution of women.

We need more women making decisions at the top of business, and people like Etta have the drive and vision to help make that happen.

The name ‘Forward Ladies’ was suggested for Etta’s group because it reflects her determination to develop and encourage women from all levels of professional life. She has worked tirelessly to organise training days, talks from inspirational business speakers and networking events to grow her organisation into the success it is today.

Now with a small team behind her, the sustainable business supports 13,000 business woman and runs more than 350 events a year from trade missions to networking events.

She also promotes diversity and equality at both regional and national levels working closely with key government agencies. ‘Forward Ladies’ operates across 10 UK regions and believes that women from all cultures should play in the building of future prosperity. Etta sits on a range of boards across different industries, notably the Yorkshire Asian Business Association (YABA).

The ceremony was conducted this week at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

An OBE is a Queen’s honour given to an individual for a major local role in any activity such as business, charity or the public sector. OBE stands for Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.