UK Government Blocks Woman Of Color Joining Channel 4 Board Amid Diversity Row

Jake Kanter
·4 min read
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EXCLUSIVE: The British government has blocked a woman of color from being appointed to Channel 4’s board for a third time, raising further questions about ministers meddling in media appointments.

TV regulator Ofcom recruits Channel 4 board members, but preferred candidates must be signed off by culture secretary Lucy Frazer. Rozina Breen, the BBC’s former head of north, was put forward by Ofcom, but ministers rejected her appointment without providing reasons for the decision.

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Deadline can reveal the veto after Channel 4 chairman Ian Cheshire appeared to criticize the diversity of five new board members approved by the government on Monday. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) said it was committed to “advancing equality” in public appointments.

Breen, now CEO and editor-in-chief of The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, praised the six-month recruitment process run by Ofcom, but was concerned by the approach taken by ministers.

“There were clear criteria and a process for application. If one is put forward by Ofcom as one of the recommended candidates and then seemingly rejected by DCMS, that feels opaque and also problematic. Who is making the appointment?” she told Deadline.

Breen added: “Representation is essential and the all too live reality is that women of color especially face multiple barriers. We need to jump higher, run faster, work harder, fit in. More diverse senior decision-makers are essential if broadcasting is to become a genuinely inclusive industry.”

The government has twice intervened in similar circumstances over Channel 4 non-executive directors. In 2021, ministers blocked the reappointed for a second term of two women of color: former Arts Council England boss Althea Efunshile and film producer Uzma Hasan.

New Channel 4 Board Members

Ofcom announced on Monday that it had bolstered Channel 4’s all-white board with five new non-executives, only one of whom was a person of color.

Tech entrepreneur Tom Adeyoola has joined the board alongside Warner Records UK head Alex Burford; Sebastian James, the CEO of retailer Boots; ad industry veteran Annette King; and Debbie Wosskow, who sold her tech startup Love Home Swap for $53M in 2017.

The appointments mean that Channel 4’s 16-strong board will have 6.25% representation from ethnically diverse directors, which is significantly below the broadcaster’s target of 20%.

Deadline understands that this is a source of disappointment among senior Channel 4 figures, who had pushed for more diversity at board level.

Channel 4 chairman Ian Cheshire
Channel 4 chairman Ian Cheshire

Cheshire, Channel 4’s chairman, appeared to voice this frustration in an email to staff on Monday, in which he pointed to the broadcaster’s failure to meet its diversity target.

“These appointments will improve representation on the board but do not yet meet the levels of representation throughout the rest of the organisation,” Cheshire said. “Appointments to the board are not ultimately in our control due to procedural reasons but we are committed to continuing to push for further progress.”

Regional Diversity Snubbed

As well as ethnic diversity, there are questions over the regional diversity of the board hires. All of the successful candidates are based in London except for Boots boss James, who lives in Kent.

Ofcom stated in its job specification that successful candidates must: “Demonstrate an understanding of the diverse needs of viewers from across the UK’s nations and English regions”

As for the rest of Channel 4’s board, no director is based in the north of England, where the broadcaster has a national headquarters in Leeds. There is also no representation from individuals based in Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland.

Channel 4 has a clear remit to represent under-served audiences and has faced significant political pressure to increase its presence outside of London. The same urgency has not been reflected in the directors chosen by ministers to join the company’s board.

Breen, who is based in Leeds, said: “For a broadcaster that was mandated to go beyond the London remit, to increase its spending and commissioning outside of London, to be more representative of audiences across the UK, then you have to ask where the commitment behind that actually is if there is a blind spot to board representation from different parts of the UK.

Channel 4 broadcast from Leeds
Channel 4 broadcast from Leeds

“If you live outside of London, you naturally bring a powerful regional connection and understanding outside of the capital city. You see life through a different lens, and that can only strengthen public service broadcasting and audience trust.”

The DCMS declined to answer Deadline’s questions about the diversity of Channel 4’s board. A spokesperson said: “DCMS is absolutely committed to advancing equality of opportunity in its public appointments, to ensure that boards of public bodies benefit from a range of diverse perspectives and are representative of the people they serve.

“Appointments to the Channel 4 board were made by Ofcom following a fair and open competition, with approval from the DCMS secretary of state.”

The board diversity row comes as Channel 4 announced on Monday that it plans to make up to 200 job cuts this year, its biggest round of layoffs in more than 15 years.

Channel 4 and Ofcom declined to comment.

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