ITV chairman Burt quashes departure speculation

by Mark Banham, Brand Republic 16-Oct-06, 11:00

LONDON - Sir Peter Burt, the ITV chairman, has quashed speculation he is set to leave the broadcaster, saying he has no intention to leave until shareholders and the board indicate he should go.

According to a report in the Financial Times today, Burt said he has no intention of announcing his departure from ITV before a successor to the broadcaster's former chief executive Charles Allen is found.

It had been reported that Burt was to leave before a successor had been appointed, leaving ITV leaderless.

According to reports, investors in the broadcaster are increasingly concerned that the search for a candidate to fill Allen's shoes has slowed, and that too many seemingly qualified candidates have insisted that they are not interested in the role, including: Channel 4 chief executive Andy Duncan; ITV non-exective chairman and former BAA chief executive Mike Clasper; and former Channel 4 boss Michael Jackson.

Several names are believed to be still in the running for the job, including: former Ofcom chief executive Stephen Carter; UIP chief executive Stewart Till; and Dawn Airey, managing director of Sky Networks.

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