Ex-BBC2 controller emerges as front-runner for C4 chief exec

Jane Root, the former BBC2 controller and Discovery Channel president, has been tipped as the front-runner for the Channel 4 chief executive role.

The broadcaster is thought to be keen to appoint a woman to the position, as well as someone who has experience of working with public service broadcasters, according to reports.

First interviews were conducted last week but the Channel 4 board and its new chairman Lord Burns are yet to make a final decision, though Root has emerged as a leading candidate for the job.

Other candidates are thought to include Andy Bird, Disney’s international chief; the BBC chief operating officer Caroline Thomson; the Talkback Thames chief executive and former BBC1 controller and Lorraine Heggessey; and David Abraham, UKTV’s chief executive.

However, some candidates have reportedly been put off by the £400,000 pay deal, which is around £100,000 less than Andy Duncan, the previous chief executive, was paid.