ITV has appointed Sir Peter Bazalgette as non-executive chairman, to take the place of Archie Norman when he steps down after more than six years in the role.
Bazalgette, who will begin his new chairmanship in May, has been a non-executive director of ITV since June 2013. He is also the outgoing chair of the Arts Council England, president of the Royal Television Society, and was previously chairman of Endemol UK, where he oversaw the development of Big Brother in the UK as well as Deal or No Deal
“As I have seen for myself over the last few years, ITV has gone through a remarkable resurgence during Archie’s chairmanship and there is still so much more that we can achieve,” Bazalgette said.
“This is an incredibly exciting time for everyone in the media sector with change happening at an unprecedented rate, and I’m absolutely delighted to be working with Adam and the management team. TV is my first love.”
Bazalgette is credited with helping to create the UK’s independent TV production sector, and has been awarded fellowships by both BAFTA and the Royal Television Society.
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Despite his numerous achievements, however, Bazalgette has not been immune to criticism. According to the Daily Mail, Opera Norman Lebrecht said Sir Peter was ‘a cynical operator of no known values’. Similarly, TV critic Victor Lewis-Smith famously accused him in 2003 of “doing more to debase television over the past decade than anyone else”.
Commenting on today’s appointment, ITV chief executive, Adam Crozier, said: “It’s been great to have had Archie as part of the team over the last six years as we transformed the company into the international media business it is today.
“ITV is now clearly in a much stronger position creatively, commercially and financially than when we started out and we’re in great shape to take on the many opportunities and challenges ahead.
“I’m really pleased that Peter, with his huge wealth of experience in television and the wider creative industries, will be with us as Chairman as we continue to grow and strengthen the business in the UK and internationally.”
