Ex-BBC deputy director general Anne Bulford joins Reach board

The BBC’s former deputy director general has joined Mirror, Express and Star publisher Reach as a non-executive director.

Anne Bulford left the public service broadcaster in the spring, saying she planned to pursue a portfolio of non-executive roles.

She first worked for the BBC from 1993 to 1999, rejoining as managing director of finance and operations in 2013 and going on to become the corporation’s number two in 2016.

Bulford was responsible for the finance, HR, legal, risk and technology functions of the BBC, managing its strategy, marketing and audience activities, as well as serving on the board of Children in Need.

She has now joined the board of Reach, the UK’s largest publisher, where she is chairman of the company’s audit and risk committee and a member of its remuneration and nomination committees this week.

In a message to shareholders, Reach chief executive Simon Fox said: “Anne has chaired a number of audit committees for organisations with a public as well as commercial mandate and as such brings relevant financial and media experience to the board.”

Bulford was awarded an OBE in 2012 for services to broadcasting in the UK after working as chief operating officer and group finance director of Channel 4 before rejoining the BBC.

She has also worked as director of finance and business affairs at the Royal Opera House and finance director at Carlton Productions.

She qualified as a chartered accountant with KPMG, spending 12 years with the auditing firm, and was recently appointed a non-executive member of its public interest committee.

BBC director general, Tony Hall praised Bulford as an “inspirational leader” who had “brought real insight and determination” to changing the BBC when she announced her departure in January.

Bulford, the first woman to hold the role of deputy director general at the BBC, has since been replaced on the corporation’s board by its director of news and current affairs Fran Unsworth.

A replacement BBC deputy director general has not yet been announced.

Picture: BBC