Ministers are set to begin the search for a new chair for the communications regulator as Lord Grade of Yarmouth prepares to step down after one term in leadership.
Sky News has learned that the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), now responsible for overseeing Ofcom, is developing plans to initiate a recruitment process in the upcoming months.
Lord Grade, the experienced broadcast executive with senior roles at BBC, ITV, and Channel 4, has been chair of Ofcom since May 2022.
Although his four-year term does not officially end for another 11 months, there are no indications that he will leave the position before then.
However, insiders have suggested that the chances of him seeking reappointment for a second term are slim.
The non-affiliated peer’s appointment in 2022 followed a contentious recruitment process and was approved by Nadine Dorries, the then Conservative culture secretary.
Since then, responsibility for Ofcom board appointments has shifted from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
Last November, Peter Kyle, the science secretary, approved the recruitment of Tamara Ingram, a veteran in the advertising sector, as Ofcom’s deputy chair.
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Ofcom takes on online harms
The search for a new chair for Ofcom follows a significant expansion of its responsibilities to include areas such as online harms.
Both DCMS, which oversees the media sector, and the Department for Business and Trade are heavily involved with Ofcom.
In addition to appointing directors to the board of state-owned Channel 4, which is looking for both a chair and a chief executive, Ofcom regulates entities like Royal Mail and the BBC.
This week, the regulator announced it was taking action against the formerly publicly owned postal service due to its failure to meet statutory delivery targets.
Ofcom also oversees the UK telecoms sector, making it one of Britain’s largest economic regulators.
Data centres may be next
The organization may also gain regulatory oversight of the rapidly growing data centre industry.
One of the key responsibilities of Lord Grade’s successor will likely be long-term executive leadership succession planning.
Dame Melanie Dawes has been Ofcom’s chief executive since 2020, though there are no indications that she plans to leave shortly.
There was uncertainty this weekend regarding whether any current Ofcom board members would seek to succeed Lord Grade.
The board includes recently appointed Lord Allan of Hallam, a former MP, and Ben Verwaayen, the ex-CEO of BT Group.
Mr. Verwaayen is expected to resign from the Ofcom board at the end of the year.
The search for Ofcom’s next chair will occur amidst a push led by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves to reform Britain’s economic regulators, aiming to reduce red tape affecting the private sector.
DSIT has been contacted for comment, while Ofcom has chosen not to comment.