A steering committee of six non-executive directors, three from Carlton and three from Granada, met earlier today to discuss the future of the board, which was rocked by the ousting of former Carlton chairman Michael Green (see
Green Relinquishes Role As ITV Chairman Designate).
Sir George Russell, of Granada, has been appointed interim deputy chairman of the “Board-in-waiting”, which consists of the six non-executive directors, Granada boss Charles Allen and ITV finance director Henry Staunton.
The interim board will guide through the merger proposals and have agreed that a firm of recruitment specialists should be appointed to recommend an independent candidate for the position of non-executive chairman of ITV.
A number of high-profile industry figures have been linked to the post. The current favourite is Denise Kingsmill, the deputy chairman of the Competition Commission (see Kingsmill Touted For Top Job At Merged ITV). Kingsmill’s appointment would be welcomed by liberal media commentators who have dismissed ITV’s board as “stale, male and boring”.
The objective is to have a chairman in place by the time the merger is completed, most likely early in the new year.
Meanwhile it has been reported that the rejected Green has flown to the US for talks with Haim Saban, the billionaire said to be considering a takeover bid for the network.
