BBC board member resigns

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Shumit Banerjee has resigned from the BBC’s board in the latest blow to the corporation since its director-general resigned nearly two weeks ago.

Banerjee, who was scheduled to step down as a non-executive director at the end of the year, was upset by the way the board handled the crisis, according to a person close to the situation.

He is said to be unhappy with the exit of Tim Davie, the managing director, as well as the head of news, and the wider response of the board to the crisis that many in the editorial team saw as avoidable.

A BBC spokesman said late on Friday: “Shumit Banerjee today notified the BBC board of his resignation… We thank him for his service. The search for a replacement is already well underway.”

The scandal sparked complaints from former chancellor Michael Prescott over its coverage of the Gaza war and transgender issues, as well as accusations that a documentary about Donald Trump was misleadingly edited.

The board has come under attack for not doing more to support its executives. Davie resigned on November 9 due to a scandal that left the British Broadcasting Corporation facing a claim for compensation amounting to $5 billion from the US president due to the corruption scandal. panorama documentary. Deborah Turness, head of BBC News, also resigned.

The BBC apologized to Trump for editing his speech on January 6, 2021, but refused to pay compensation.

Some BBC insiders and politicians see Robbie Gibb, the former Conservative Party press secretary who was also a board member, as part of a right-wing coup on the BBC board.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey moved a motion in parliament to remove Gibb from the board, saying that “since his appointment, he has interfered in editorial decisions and key appointments and attempted to undermine the BBC from within”.

But Jeb’s allies deny any plot, a position supported by BBC chief Samir Shah, who said talk of a coup was “fantasy” and “disrespectful”.

Banerjee was a non-executive director on the BBC’s board, responsible for upholding and protecting its independence. He also helped ensure that the Board’s decision-making process was in the public interest.

Banerjee is the founder of Condorcet, an advisory and investment firm focused on early-stage and development-stage technology companies.

He resigned as Chairman of Booz & Company in 2012 and has served on the Board of Directors of Hewlett-Packard and its successor HP since 2011. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries.