Elan Closs Stephens named BBC acting chair

(Adds background) LONDON, June 2 (Reuters) - Britain on Friday appointed BBC board member Elan Closs Stephens as the public broadcaster's acting chair, replacing Richard Sharp who resigned in a cronyism row involving his links to former prime minister Boris Johnson.

Britain on Friday appointed BBC board member Elan Closs Stephens as the public broadcaster's acting chair, replacing Richard Sharp who resigned in a cronyism row involving his links to former prime minister Boris Johnson. Closs Stephens, a member of the BBC's governing body since 2010, will remain acting chair from June 27 for a year, or until a new permanent chair has been appointed, the British government said.

"When she takes over, Dame Elan will provide stability in the leadership of the BBC while a process to appoint a new permanent Chair is run," Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said, using Closs Stephens' honorific title. Sharp resigned in April after an independent report found he had breached rules by not disclosing a potential conflict of interest in his role in helping to secure a $1 million loan for then-prime minister Johnson.

Sharp, a former Goldman Sachs banker and donor to Britain's governing Conservative Party, became chairman in 2021. Closs Stephens has spent a career in broadcasting and academia, and currently serves as the Welsh member of the BBC board. She is also the Electoral Commissioner for Wales and a member of the UK Electoral Commission Board.

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