Tim Davie

Timothy Douglas Davie (born 25 April 1967) is a British media executive currently serving as the seventeenth Director-General of the BBC since 1 September 2020, taking over from Tony Hall. He was previously appointed as the acting director-general of the BBC on 10 November 2012 following the resignation of George Entwistle, until Hall took over the role permanently in April 2013. Educated at Whitgift School and the University of Cambridge, Davie joined the BBC following a career in marketing. He unsuccessfully stood as a candidate for the Conservative Party in 1993 and 1994 in the Hammersmith and Fulham London Borough Council elections. During his time as acting director-general he oversaw the investigations into BBC management and conduct following revelations the broadcaster had known about sexual abuse by Jimmy Savile. Early life and career Davie was born on 25 April 1967 in Croydon, London. He attended Downside School and Whitgift School, a private school, in the London Borough of Croydon on a scholarship between 1980 and 1985. He studied English at Selwyn College, Cambridge. Davie joined Procter & Gamble as a trainee in 1991. Two years later he joined PepsiCo eventually becoming vice-president of marketing and finance before leaving the company in 2005. Davie unsuccessfully stood as a councillor for the Conservative Party in the Hammersmith and Fulham London Borough Council elections in 1993 and 1994 and was deputy chairman of the Hammersmith and Fulham Conservative Association in the 1990s. BBC career Davie joined the BBC as Director of Marketing, Communications and Audiences in April 2005, succeeding Andy Duncan. He was Director-General Mark Thompson's first senior external appointment.