BBC leadership changes announced as Helen Boaden retires
Helen Boaden, Director of Radio, has announced she is to retire from the BBC.
Published: 30 September 2016
Helen speaks for public service broadcasting so eloquently and persuasively. We owe her an enormous debt of gratitude.
She will leave in March after 34 years of service, in which time she has had a range of roles including Director of News and Controller of Radio 4.
Helen says: “I love the BBC and it has been the privilege of my life to serve our audiences for 34 years. But now is the right time to leave. With a new Charter to implement, Tony Hall needs a top team committed to the long haul. By contrast, I am keen to embrace a different life and put my energy, skills and experience into other things I care about. I am delighted to have been invited to take up a Harvard Fellowship in the Spring.
“I am very fortunate to have done some wonderfully challenging and fascinating jobs throughout my long career. The last few years running BBC Radio, with all its creativity, innovation and sheer fun, have been especially productive and happy. I am very proud that my final job at the BBC has been Director of the Radio division.
“I may be leaving but I shall always root for the BBC and its amazing teams who provide the very best education, information and entertainment, as well as useful and inventive technology. The BBC is extraordinary. We are blessed to have it as a unique part of our national life and we should never take it for granted.”
Director-General Tony Hall says: “Helen speaks for public service broadcasting so eloquently and persuasively. We owe her an enormous debt of gratitude. She’s been a great champion for our audiences. Whether at the microphone, backstage or in the boardroom, she has an unerring instinct for what is right for them.
"The BBC had been Helen's life's work and we shall miss her."
Leadership changes
Following Helen’s decision, Lord Hall has announced further changes to his leadership team.
James Purnell already has responsibility for putting education at the centre of the BBC’s thinking. Now he will bring together network Radio, Arts, Music, Learning and Children’s as Director, Radio & Education.
Lord Hall says: “I’ve talked a lot about a BBC that’s more digital, more open and more global than ever. And, with the Charter now all but done, I need the right top team in place, with the right responsibilities, to deliver just that.
“There are three big challenges. First of all, how do we best compete in a world full of ideas? I want to connect great thinkers inside and outside the organisation; to partner more closely with other great institutions. Secondly, how we connect with young audiences. They’re digital; they’re demanding in the very best sense of the word and we need to do more to engage them. And finally, there’s so much more to offer globally in music, arts, speech radio - things our country excels in. Our role, reflecting the UK to the world, has never been more important. BBC Radio is the best there is and I know it can speak - and sing - even more loudly the world over.
“I want real ambition: a powerhouse for radio - and our education mission around the world. I know we’ve got the people, programmes and ideas to do just that.
James Purnell says: “I grew up loving the BBC, so it's been a privilege to work here, fighting for a licence fee increase in the 1990s and now working on Charter Review.
“I'm delighted to have been asked to lead the new division, Radio and Education, bringing together Arts, Music and Network Radio with Children's and Learning. We're the best public service broadcaster in the world in all these areas. They're unique, but face common challenges - from reaching younger audiences to workings in partnership.
“We've got a singular advantage in all our areas: we either have or could get global rights. I want us to use this advantage to think about how we could take on the world for the benefit of our audiences and for Britain.”
Notes to Editors
1. Helen will continue to lead the radio teams until the new division starts on 31 October. She will then remain responsible for myBBC, the BBC’s major digital project, as well as leading the BBC’s contribution to Hull City of Culture.
2. James was interviewed for the new post this week, and will remain on his existing salary.
3. Bringing together divisions will allow us to deliver further savings to focus on content.
4. The BBC will also be recruiting a new Director of Radio, within James’s team, to give creative leadership and focus day-in-day out.
BBC Press Office
