The BBC's governing body, the BBC Trust, has appointed Jon Zeff from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to be its new £180,000-a-year director.
Zeff will replace Nicholas Kroll, who is retiring from the BBC at the end of June and has directed the BBC Trust since 2004.
The director of the Trust is the principal adviser to the trustees and the chairman, Lord Patten.
Patten said in a statement: "Jon is a highly experienced public servant who understands both the values of public service broadcasting and the policy issues surrounding broadcasting as a whole in the years ahead."
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