Former Google boss Matt Brittin has been announced as the next director-general of the BBC.
The 57-year-old spent almost two decades at Google, rising to become the company’s president in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
The announcement comes after the BBC’s previous director-general, Tim Davie, resigned late last year following criticism over the way a speech by Donald Trump was edited.
Davie, along with former BBC News CEO Deborah Turness, resigned in November 2025 after the corporation was accused of editorial bias against the US president.
The broadcaster was accused of misleading the public following claims that the speech had been selectively edited in the documentary, Trump: A Second Chance?
The episode broadcast in 2024 spliced two clips together from two separate parts of Trump’s speech.
The BBC’s appointment of a tech executive as director-general, rather than someone with TV production and broadcasting experience, marks a shift for the corporation.
Mr Brittin announced his departure from Google late last year.
He is a non-executive director of the Guardian Media Group board and, before joining Google in 2007, spent time in media, marketing, and strategy, including as commercial director at Trinity Mirror.
He also served for nine years on the board of Sainsbury’s and has been a trustee of charities including the Media Trust and the Climate Group.
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