Richard Sharp: Who is the BBC chairman?

Richard Sharp has been the chairman of the BBC since February 2021.

As chairman of the BBC's board, he is in charge of upholding and protecting the BBC's independence and ensuring the BBC fulfils its mission to inform, educate and entertain, among other things.

A former banker, the 66-year-old earns 160,000 a year in the role, which he previously pledged to give to charity.

But his appointment has been facing scrutiny in recent days after a Sunday Times report claimed that shortly before being given the job, Mr Sharp helped the then-Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, secure a loan guarantee agreement. Both men deny there was a conflict of interest, and Mr Sharp said he "simply connected" people.

• Labour urges watchdog to probe Johnson loan claims

As a child, Mr Sharp spent part of his childhood in the US, where his father held senior positions at chemical giant Monsanto and telecoms company Cable & Wireless.

Mr Sharp read PPE at Christ Church, Oxford, where he was a neighbour to the journalist Adam Boulton. His 40-year career in finance began with a job at JP Morgan, and then he had a long and very distinguished career at investment bank Goldman Sachs.