Caroline Thomson appointed to the Board of the Shareholder Executive

The former BBC Chief Operating Officer Caroline Thomson has been appointed as a non-executive director to the government’s Shareholder Executive (ShEx). This appointment will further enhance the knowledge and experience available to ShEx in its work as an effective shareholder of businesses owned by the government and securing best value for the taxpayer. Caroline is also Chair of Digital UK, a position she has held since January 2013. Caroline will formally join the ShEx Board in November 2014.

About the Shareholder Executive (ShEx)

The Shareholder Executive (ShEx) is part of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). It is a unique and diverse group bringing together private sector commercial expertise and essential civil service skills. ShEx works flexibly and collaboratively across government to provide expert advice and a professional service. ShEx manages the government’s shareholder relationships with businesses owned or part-owned by the government. It also offers corporate finance expertise and advice to government departments to ensure the taxpayer gets best value from the assets it owns. Furthermore it works to deliver growth and to boost the economy in new and innovative ways – via entities such as the Green Investment Bank investing in green projects, or the British Business Bank helping finance markets to work better for smaller businesses.

Shareholder Executive (ShEx) Board Membership comprises: Non- Executive Chair - Robert Swannell, Non- Executive Directors - Claudia Arney, Sir Gerry Grimstone, Jeremy Pocklington, Robin Lawther, Caroline Thomson and Executive Directors Mark Russell - Chief Executive, Anthony Odgers – Deputy Chief Executive & Director Corporate Finance Practice, Roger Lowe – Director, Portfolio and Ceri Smith – Director, Business Bank and Public Data Group

About Caroline Thomson

Caroline Thomson has a mix of appointments in the arts and media worlds. She is Chair of Digital UK, the body which is responsible for digital terrestrial television, and a director of CN media group. In the arts world she is Executive Director of English National Ballet, Deputy Chair of the National Gallery and a trustee of Tullie House Gallery in Cumbria. She is also a non-executive director of one of the National Health Service regulatory bodies.

Caroline stepped down from her role as Chief Operating Officer at the BBC in September 2012 after serving 12 years as a member of the Executive Board.

As Chief Operating Officer she was the Deputy Director General and was responsible for all the non-programme parts of the BBC except finance. She managed technology, property, marketing, HR, legal, strategy, communications, health and safety, complaints and outreach - with operating budgets of £800 million, capital budgets of more than £1 billion and a staff of more than 3,000.

Caroline’s initial training was as a broadcast journalist and in her twenties she was a producer on Radio 4 and for Panorama. She spent 11 years at Channel 4, first in charge of science and business programmes and latterly as Head of Corporate Affairs. She then returned to the BBC as Deputy Chief Executive of the World Service.

Caroline received an honorary doctorate from York University in 2013.