Channel 4 appoints Lord Burns as chairman
LONDON - Channel 4 has appointed Lord Terry Burns, former permanent secretary to the Treasury to replace Luke Johnson as its chairman.
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The search for a chairman began in August. Contenders for the role included Richard Eyre, a former chief executive of ITV, Lord Alli, the Labour peer and co-founder of production company Planet 24 and Dianne Thompson, chief executive of lottery operator Camelot.
Burns has operated as chairman of Santander-owned bank Abbey since 2002.
He has a strong background in media and led a review of the BBC's role in 2006 under former Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell.
Burns was previously a candidate for the top job at Ofcom in 2003 and for the chairmanship of the BBC in 2001, when Gavyn Davies won the role.
Burns has been chairman of the National Lottery Commission, which licenses and regulates the lottery, and led a review into the Football Association, football's governing body, after it was hit by a string of scandals in 2004.
It is thought Burns' first major task at Channel 4 will be to choose a chief executive to replace Andy Duncan, who is expected to leave the broadcaster this month
Burns will also be looking at ways to engineer a joint venture with BBC Worldwide and be responsible for financially securing the future of Channel 4.
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