Restaurant entrepreneur appointed Chairman of Channel 4

The next Chairman of Channel 4 is to be Ivy restaurant entrepreneur Luke Johnson.
Industry watchdog, Ofcom announced that Johnson, 42, the Chairman of Signature Restaurants (formerly Belgo Group) will take over the role of chairman at the UK's fourth television channel.
The appointment to the £67,500-a-year post has been formally approved by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Tessa Jowell.
The Chairman of Ofcom, David Currie, said: “Luke combines an outstanding commercial and strategic track record with a passion for public service broadcasting and Channel 4. He has the ideal experience to guide the Channel 4 Board as it addresses the significant challenges ahead.
“I would also like to pay tribute to Vanni Treves for his excellent stewardship of Channel 4, and wish him well for the future.”
A well-known and successful entrepreneur, Johnson is also a columnist on The Sunday Telegraph and is a Governor of the London Institute, a body representing five art and design colleges.
Commenting on his appointment Luke Johnson said: “Channel 4 plays a critically important role at the heart of UK public service broadcasting, with a brilliant track record at the forefront of innovation and creativity in television. I am very excited by this opportunity to help guide its development in the future.”
Mr Johnson began his career with BMP Advertising Agency, subsequently joining Kleinwort Benson as a media analyst. Previous directorships include PizzaExpress, My Kinda Town, American Port Services, Abacus Recruitment, Whittards of Chelsea and Nightfreight.
Ofcom is responsible for overseeing the appointment of the Chairman of the Channel 4 Board.
The search for a successor to outgoing Chairman, Vanni Treves, began last year with advertisements in the national newspapers and a selection process managed by an executive search company.
The selection panel consisted of Ofcom Chairman Lord Currie, Ofcom Deputy Chairman Richard Hooper, Ofcom Chief Executive Stephen Carter and, prior to the dissolution of the Independent Television Commission (ITC) which became part of Ofcom in December 2003, the former ITC Chairman Sir Robin Biggam.
The panel also included an independent assessor.
(GB)