Appointment details

Channel 4 Chair

Summary

• Organisation: Channel 4
• Sponsor department: Department for Culture, Media and Sport
• Location: Various
• Sectors: Culture, Media & Sport
• Skills: Business, Change Management, Media, Transformation
• Number of vacancies: 1
• Time commitment: 5 day(s) per month
• Remuneration: £95,000 per annum
• Length of term: 3/4 years
• Application deadline: 11:55pm on 27 April 2025

Share this page

The following links open in a new tab

Timeline for this appointment

1. Opening date

   31 March 2025

2. Application deadline

   11:55pm on 27 April 2025

3. Sifting date

   9 June 2025

4. Interviews expected to end on

   7 July 2025

Timeline dates are only an estimate and can change

About the appointment

Introduction

Channel 4 Television Corporation is a publicly owned, commercially funded broadcaster transmitting across the whole of the UK and available on all digital platforms (terrestrial, satellite and cable) via a network of 12 television channels including Channel 4 (linear service), E4, More4, Film4, 4seven and 4Music, as well as the UK’s largest streaming service. Film4 co-produces feature films for the UK and global markets. Channel 4’s revenue was £1.02bn in 2023, including £280m from digital advertising.

The channel's primary purpose under the 2003 Communications Act is the fulfilment of its public service remit, ‘the provision of a broad range of high quality and diverse programming’ which, in particular:

• demonstrates innovation, experiment and creativity in the form and content of programmes;
• appeals to the tastes and interests of a culturally diverse society;
• makes a significant contribution to meeting the need for the licensed public service channels to include programmes of an educational nature and other programmes of educative value; and
• exhibits a distinctive character.

Channel 4 has additional responsibilities under the Digital Economy Act 2010 to participate in:

• the making of a broad range of relevant media content of high quality that, taken as a whole, appeals to the tastes and interests of a culturally diverse society;
• the making of high quality films intended to be shown to the general public at the cinema in the United Kingdom;
• the broadcasting and distribution of such content and films;
• the making of relevant media content that consists of news and current affairs;
• the making of relevant media content that appeals to the tastes and interests of older children and young adults;
• the broadcasting or distribution by means of electronic communications networks of feature films that reflect cultural activity in the United Kingdom (including third party films);
• the broadcasting or distribution of relevant media content by means of a range of different types of electronic communications networks.

Channel 4 has responsibilities under the Media Act 2024 to promote the sustainability of the channel, maintaining or increasing the amount of activity to deliver its primary functions and securely meet the costs incurred in the carrying out those functions. The Act also removes the restrictions previously placed on Channel 4 on the production of programmes.

The channel must also:

• promote measures intended to ensure that people are well informed and motivated to participate in society in a variety of ways;
• support the development of people with creative talent, in particular people involved in the film industry and at the start of their careers;
• support and stimulate well-informed debate on a wide range of issues, including by providing access to information and views from around the world and by challenging established views;
• promote alternative views and new perspectives;
• provide access to material that is intended to inspire people to make changes in their lives.

Appointment description

Ofcom is seeking to appoint a new Chair to Channel Four Television Corporation to replace the current Chair, Sir Ian Cheshire, whose term of office ends on 10 April 2025. The appointment will be made by Ofcom, subject to approval by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

Channel 4 is governed by a unitary board which:

•     provides entrepreneurial leadership within a framework of prudent and effective controls which enable risks to be assessed and managed;

•     sets Channel 4's strategic aims and oversees their implementation;

•     ensures that the necessary financial and human resources are in place for Channel 4 to meet its objectives and reviews the performance of its management;

•     sets Channel 4's values and standards and ensures that its statutory and other obligations are understood and met.

The Board is also responsible for ensuring that the Corporation carries on its activities in the way that they have reasonable grounds to consider would be most likely to enable the Corporation, over the long term:

a)     to maintain or increase the amount of activity that is done in pursuance of their primary functions; and

b)     to be securely in a position to meet costs incurred in the carrying out of their primary functions.

Board composition

https://www.channel4.com/corporate/about-4/who-we-are/board

Person specification

Essential criteria

The experience that may support this include:

• successfully leading a major organisation delivering sustainable commercial results;
• demonstrable business and financial acumen within the sector or translatable to the sector;
• experience of either chairing a company or being involved with a company at board level;
• a strong interest in and understanding of the broadcast media and/or the digital or communications sectors;
• a track record of promoting diversity and inclusion. For Channel 4, this includes providing content that appeals to a culturally and regionally diverse audience and promoting geographical and regional diversity, underpinned by being headquartered in Leeds;
• a track record of building effective and collaborative relationships with industry, government and regulators.

Desirable criteria

The attributes that may support this include:

• a mature, clear outlook and sound judgement;
• strong leadership, strategic thinking and vision;
• excellent interpersonal and communications skills;
• personal integrity of a high order.

Application and selection process

How to apply

Russell Reynolds Associates (RRA) has been retained to support this appointment. To apply, please submit applications by email to Channel4@russellreynolds.com.

Please submit your full application by email to Channel4@russellreynolds.com. Please quote the role title and assignment code 2501-004L in the subject heading of the email. All applications will be acknowledged. All applications must include the following:

1. A Curriculum Vitae with your education, professional qualifications and full employment history.
2. An accompanying Supporting Letter (maximum 2 A4 pages) – setting out your suitability for the role and how you meet the criteria set out in the person specification.
3. Diversity Information Form: Please find the form available to complete here.

This questionnaire invites candidates to share the following:

• Diversity Monitoring data: All applicants are invited to complete this information to assist Channel 4 with monitoring its recruitment processes. Data will only be reported in an anonymous and aggregate format and will not be seen by anyone assessing your application.
• Declaration of Interests: you will be invited to declare any significant interests including financial, employment, political or personal interests here.

Overview of the application process

Public appointments are made on merit following a fair and open competition process which is conducted in accordance with the Governance Code for Public Appointments. We will deal with your application as quickly as possible and will keep you informed at key stages. We aim to conclude the appointment process within three months of the deadline for applications – this is in accordance with the Governance Code.

The assessment process

1. Ministers are responsible and accountable to Parliament for the public appointments made within their department. As a result, they must be consulted at every stage of the appointments process.

2. An Advisory Assessment Panel (“Panel”) is appointed by Ministers to assist them in their decision making. The role of the Panel is to decide, objectively, which candidates meet the eligibility criteria for the role.

3. At the shortlisting meeting the Panel will assess applications against the eligibility criteria and decide which candidates have best met the criteria, who should be recommended for interview. Ministers will then be consulted on the Panel’s recommended shortlist. If you have applied under the Disability Confident Scheme and you meet all the essential criteria, then you will also be invited for an interview.

4. Once the shortlist has been agreed by Ministers, you will be advised (by e-mail) whether you have been shortlisted. Those shortlisted will be invited to an interview.

5. The Panel will meet again to interview candidates and determine who is appointable to the role. The Panel may invite you to make a brief presentation at the start of the interview and will go on to question you about your skills and experience, including asking specific questions to assess whether you meet the criteria set out for the post. The Panel will also explore with you any potential conflicts of interest or any other issues arising from your personal and professional history which may impact on an appointment decision.

6. Details of the panel’s assessment of interviewed candidates are provided to Ministers, including whether they have judged a candidate to be appointable to the role. It is then for Ministers to determine merit and decide who should be appointed. In some circumstances, Ministers may choose not to appoint any candidates and re-run the competition.

7. Ministers may choose to meet with candidates before deciding the outcome. Candidates should therefore be prepared for a short time gap between interview and a final appointment decision being made. Candidates who have been interviewed will be kept informed of progress.

8. Once the decision on the appointment has been made, interviewed candidates will be advised of the outcome of their application, including whom they may approach for feedback. Successful candidates will be issued with their Terms & Conditions and a letter of appointment should they agree to take up the position.

Further information about appointments, including tips on applying, can be found on our guidance pages on gov.uk.

Advisory Assessment Panel (AAP)

• Lord Michael Grade (Chair, Ofcom)

• Nicolina Andall (NED and Solicitor)

• Baroness Usha Prashar  

• David Kogan OBE

Advisory Assessment Panels (AAP) are chosen by ministers to assist them in their decision-making. These include a departmental official and an independent member. For competitions recruiting non-executive members of a board (apart from the Chair), the panel will usually include a representative from the public body concerned.

AAP’s perform a number of functions, including agreeing an assessment strategy with ministers, undertaking sifting, carrying out interviews in line with the advertised criteria and deciding objectively who meets the published selection criteria for the role before recommending to ministers which candidates they find appointable. It is then for the minister to decide who to appoint to the role.

Eligibility criteria

In general, you should have the right to work in the UK to be eligible to apply for a public appointment.

There are a small number of specialist roles that are not open to non-British citizens. Any nationality requirements will be specified in the vacancy details.

The Government expects all holders of public office to work to the highest personal and professional standards. 

You cannot be considered for a public appointment if:

• you are disqualified from acting as a company director  (under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986);

• have an unspent conviction on your criminal record;

• your estate has been sequestrated in Scotland or you enter into a debt arrangement programme under Part 1 of the Debt Arrangement and Attachment (Scotland) Act 2002 (asp 17) as the debtor or have, under Scots law, granted a trust deed for creditors.

When you apply, you should declare if:

• you are, or have been, bankrupt or you have made an arrangement with a creditor at any point, including the dates of this. 

• you are subject to a current police investigation.

You must inform the sponsor department if, during the application process, your circumstances change in respect of any of the above points. 

When you apply you should also declare any relevant interests, highlighting any that you think may call into question your ability to properly discharge the responsibilities of the role you are applying for. You should also declare any other matters which may mean you may not be able to meet the requirements of the Code of Conduct of Board Members (see Outside interests and reputational issues section below)

If you need further advice, please contact Channel4@russellreynolds.com

Security clearance

The successful candidate will be required to undertake Baseline Personnel Security Standard checks in line with the Civil Service guidelines. Additional Security Clearance may also be required for certain roles. However, where this applies, candidates will be notified during the appointment process. Further information on National Security Vetting can be found on the Gov.uk website here.

Additional information for candidates

Equality and diversity

We encourage applications from talented individuals from all backgrounds and across the whole of the United Kingdom. Boards of public bodies are most effective when they reflect the diversity of views of the society they serve.

We collect data about applicants’ characteristics and backgrounds, including information about people’s educational and professional backgrounds, so that we can make sure we are attracting a broad range of people to these roles and that our selection processes are fair for everyone. Without this information, it makes it difficult to see if our outreach is working, if the application process is having an unfair impact on certain groups and whether changes are making a positive difference.

When you submit your application, your responses are collected by the Cabinet Office and the government department(s) managing your application. The data is used to produce management information about the diversity of applicants. You can select “prefer not to say” to any question you do not wish to answer. The information you provide will not be seen by the Advisory Assessment Panel who review applications against the advertised criteria and conduct interviews.

Disability confident

We are a member of the Government’s Disability Confident scheme. We use the Disability Confident scheme symbol, along with other like-minded employers, to show our commitment to good practice in employing people with a disability. The scheme helps recruit and retain disabled people. As part of implementing the scheme, we guarantee an interview for anyone with a disability whose application meets the essential criteria for the role, set out in the advert, and who has asked that their application is considered under the scheme. Indicating that you wish your application to be considered under the scheme will in no way prejudice your application. By ‘essential criteria', we mean that you must provide evidence which demonstrates that you meet the level of competence required under each of the essential criteria, as set out in the job-advert. When you apply you will have the opportunity to select if you would like your application considered under this scheme.

Reasonable adjustments

We are committed to making reasonable adjustments to make sure applicants with disabilities, physical or mental health conditions, or other needs are not substantially disadvantaged when applying for public appointments. This can include changing the recruitment process to enable people who wish to apply to do so.

Some examples of common changes are:

• ensuring that application forms are available in different or accessible formats;
• making adaptations to interview locations;
• allowing candidates to present their skills and experience in a different way;
• giving additional detailed information on the selection / interview process in advance to allow candidates time to prepare themselves;
• allowing support workers, for example sign language interpreters;
• making provision for support animals to attend.

When you apply you will have the opportunity to request reasonable adjustments to the application process.

Principles of public life

The Seven Principles of Public Life (also known as the Nolan Principles) apply to anyone who works as a public office-holder.

1. Selflessness

Holders of public office should act solely in terms of the public interest.

2. Integrity

Holders of public office must avoid placing themselves under any obligation to people or organisations that might try inappropriately to influence them in their work. They should not act or take decisions in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family, or their friends. They must declare and resolve any interests and relationships.

3. Objectivity

Holders of public office must act and take decisions impartially, fairly and on merit, using the best evidence and without discrimination or bias.

4. Accountability

Holders of public office are accountable to the public for their decisions and actions and must submit themselves to the scrutiny necessary to ensure this.

5. Openness

Holders of public office should act and take decisions in an open and transparent manner. Information should not be withheld from the public unless there are clear and lawful reasons for so doing.

6. Honesty

Holders of public office should be truthful.

7. Leadership

Holders of public office should exhibit these principles in their own behaviour and treat others with respect. They should actively promote and robustly support the principles and challenge poor behaviour wherever it occurs.

Code of conduct for board members

The Government expects all holders of public office to work to the highest personal and professional standards. In support of this, all non-executive board members of UK public bodies must abide by the principles set out in the Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies. The Code sets out the standards expected from those who serve on the boards of UK public bodies and will form part of your terms and conditions of appointment.

The successful candidate this role will also be expected to abide by the principles set out in Channel 4's Code of Conduct.

Management of outside interests and consideration of reputational issues

Holders of public office are expected to adhere and uphold the Seven Principles of Public Life and the Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies. Before you apply you should consider carefully: 

• any outside interests that you may have, such as shares you may hold in a company providing services to government; 
• any possible reputational issues arising from your past actions or public statements that you have made; 
• and/or - any political roles you hold or political campaigns you have supported; 

which may call into question your ability to do the role you are applying for.

You will need to answer relevant questions in relation to these points when making an application. Many conflicts of interest can be satisfactorily resolved and declaring a potential conflict does not prevent you from being interviewed. If you are shortlisted for an interview, the panel will discuss any potential conflicts with you during that interview, including any proposals you may have to mitigate them and record that in their advice to ministers. Alongside your own declaration, we will conduct appropriate checks, as part of which we will consider anything in the public domain related to your conduct or professional capacity. This may include searches of previous public statements and social media, blogs or any other publicly available information. The successful candidate(s) may be required to give up any conflicting interests and their other business and financial interests may be published in line with organisational policies. 

Details of declared political activity will be published when the appointment is announced, as required by the Governance Code (political activity is not a bar to appointment, but must be declared).

Status of appointment

As this is an office holder appointment, you will not become a member of the Civil Service. You will not be subject to the provisions of employment law.

Appointment and tenure of office

Appointments are for the term set out in this advert, with the possibility of re-appointment for a further term, at the discretion of Ministers.  Any re-appointment is subject to satisfactory annual appraisals of performance during the first term in the post. There is no automatic presumption of reappointment; each case should be considered on its own merits, taking into account a number of factors including, but not restricted to, the diversity of the current board and its balance of skills and experience. In most cases, the total time served in post will not exceed more than two terms or ten years in any one post. 

Remuneration, allowances and abatement

Remuneration for this role is treated as employment income and will be subject to tax and National Insurance contributions, both of which will be deducted at source under PAYE before you are paid.

You can claim reimbursement for reasonable travel and subsistence costs which are properly and necessarily incurred on official business, in line with the travel and subsistence policy and rates for the organisation to which you are applying. However these payments are taxable as earnings and will be subject to tax and national insurance, both of which will be deducted at source under PAYE before you are paid.

Pension and redundancy

This is an office holder appointment and does not attract any benefits under any Civil Service Pension Scheme. You will not be eligible for redundancy pay as you are not an employee. No other arrangements have been made for compensation upon the end of your term of appointment because an office holder who is appointed for a limited duration would have no expectation of serving beyond that period.

Application feedback

Ofcom will notify you of the status of your application. We regret that Ofcom are only able to offer detailed feedback to candidates who have been unsuccessful at the interview stage.

How to complain

We aim to process all applications as quickly as possible and to treat all applicants with courtesy.

Please contact Ofcom in the first instance if you would like to make a complaint regarding your application at contact@ofcom.org.uk  and at Channel4@russellreynolds.com. They will acknowledge your complaint upon receipt and respond within 15 working days.

Data protection

The Cabinet Office will use your data in line with our privacy policy.

Ofcom will use your data in line with their General Privacy Statement.

Attachments

• Position Specification, Channel 4 Chair