Ofcom Board

Historically, the regulatory regimes for broadcasting, telecommunications and spectrum management have encompassed a broad range of governance models.

These have included oversight by Government-appointed Commission, by Director-General and by Government Agency.

Ofcom's governance structure is different. It is based upon a model which is familiar to the commercial sector but which marks a departure from the past.

Ofcom has a Board with a Chairman and both executive and non-executive members. The Executive runs the organisation and answers to the Board, while the work of both Board and Executive is informed by the contribution of a number of advisory bodies.

The Ofcom Board provides strategic direction for Ofcom. It is the main statutory instrument of regulation with a fundamental role in the effective implementation of the Communications Act 2003.

The Board is chaired by Lord Burns. Its membership is published. There are up to nine additional members, including the Chief Executive of Ofcom and up to three members of the Executive.

The Ofcom Board meets at least once a month (with the exception of August). Agendas and notes of meetings are published regularly on the Ofcom website.

The Board has a central governance function, with oversight over the fulfilment of Ofcom's general duties and specific statutory responsibilities as well as its adherence to the ethos of a public service organisation. The Board also has oversight of Ofcom's overall funding and expenditure.

The Board acts on a collective basis. As the body charged with governing Ofcom's strategic direction, the Board has agreed that its members will abide by the following principles:

1. The Board will operate on the principles of collective responsibility, support and respect.
2. Board members should have access to all the information necessary to ensure vigorous debate and effective decision-making.
3. In all situations, all Board members will be deemed to have agreed with all decisions.
4. External pressure will not alter Board processes except for potential timelines.
5. Board members' behaviour in response to decisions is required to be the same inside and outside Ofcom.
6. Minority views will not be made public internally or externally.
7. Nominated Board members (other than those who disagreed with a decision) may be required to explain and articulate specific decisions.
8. If a Board member resigns he or she may state the basis for the disagreement, but may not publicly rehearse the arguments of other Board members.

The Board provides strategic direction for the performance of Ofcom’s regulatory functions by reference to its statutory duties and has overall responsibility for financial and operational matters.

The Board may take any decision it considers it is appropriate to be taken by the Board notwithstanding the delegations approved by the Board through the Delegations Framework. The delegations in the delegations framework are also subject to the reservation of the following matters to the Board:

a) approval of Ofcom's annual budget, overall financial policy and Financial Authorities Framework;

b) approval of Ofcom's annual report and accounts;

c) approval of any contract value in excess of £5,000,000;

d) approval of Ofcom's annual plan, long term objectives and overall strategic policy framework;

e) undertaking a formal regular review of the Board’s own performance and that of Board committees;

f) approval of terms of reference of Board committees;

g) approval of appointments and remuneration of Non-Executive members to Board committees;

h) Approval of appointments of non-executive members of the Channel Four Board (subject to the formal approval of the Secretary of State) and decisions as to the number of members of the Channel Four Board; and

i) Decisions concerning appointments to MG Alba (the Gaelic Media Service)

Approved by the Ofcom Board, 24 May 2016

The Board is scheduled to meet on the following dates. (Meetings to be held at Ofcom's offices in London unless otherwise indicated.)

12 February 2020

18 March 2020

22 April 2020

12 May 2020

17 June 2020

15 July 2020

22 September 2020

21 October 2020

18 November 2020 (in Belfast)

9 December 2020

Agenda for the Meeting of the Ofcom Board to be held 17 June 2020 (PDF, 109.5 KB)

Agenda for the Meeting of the Ofcom Board to be held 12 May 2020 (PDF, 108.6 KB)

Agenda for the Meeting of the Ofcom Board to be held 22 April 2020 (PDF, 108.7 KB)

Agenda for the Meeting of the Ofcom Board to be held 18 March 2020 (PDF, 82.0 KB)

Agenda for the Meeting of the Ofcom Board to be held 12 February 2020 (PDF, 80.8 KB)

Agenda for the Meeting of the Ofcom Board to be held 18 December 2019 (PDF, 81.4 KB)

Agenda for the Meeting of the Ofcom Board to be held 20 November 2019 (PDF, 65.6 KB)

Agenda for the Meeting of the Ofcom Board to be held 17 October 2019 (PDF, 67.1 KB)

Agenda for the Meeting of the Ofcom Board to be held 18 September 2019 (PDF, 70.8 KB)

Agenda for the Meeting of the Ofcom Board to be held 17 July 2019 (PDF, 73.1 KB)

Agenda for the Meeting of the Ofcom Board to be held 18 June 2019 (PDF, 75.0 KB)

Agenda for the Meeting of the Ofcom Board to be held 22 May 2019 (PDF, 70.1 KB)

Agenda for the Meeting of the Ofcom Board to be held 10 April 2019 (PDF, 69.9 KB)

Agenda for the Meeting of the Ofcom Board to be held 20 March 2019 (PDF, 72.3 KB)

Agenda for the Meeting of the Ofcom Board to be held 6 February 2019 (PDF, 72.2 KB)

Agenda for the Meeting of the Ofcom Board to be held 11 December 2018 (PDF, 58.5 KB)

Agenda for the Meeting of the Ofcom Board to be held 13 November 2018 (PDF, 63.9 KB)

Agenda for the Meeting of the Ofcom Board to be held 2 October 2018 (PDF, 10.0 KB)

Agenda for the Meeting of the Ofcom Board to be held 18 September 2018 (PDF, 10.5 KB)

Agenda for the Meeting of the Ofcom Board to be held 17 July 2018 (PDF, 10.5 KB)

Agenda for the Meeting of the Ofcom Board to be held 19 June 2018 (PDF, 63.4 KB)

It is our policy to keep board and committee minutes on our site for two years only. Older minutes can be accessed via the National Archives.

Note of the 272nd Meeting of the Ofcom Board – 12 May 2020 (PDF, 172.1 KB)

Note of the 271st Meeting of the Ofcom Board – 22 April 2020 (PDF, 169.5 KB)

Note of the 270th Meeting of the Ofcom Board – 18 March 2020 (PDF, 212.7 KB)

Note of the 269th Meeting of the Ofcom Board – 12 February 2020 (PDF, 182.8 KB)

Minutes of the 268th Meeting of the Ofcom Board – 18 December 2019 (PDF, 211.0 KB)

Minutes of the 267th Meeting of the Ofcom Board – 20 November 2019 (PDF, 240.5 KB)

Minutes of the 266th Meeting of the Ofcom Board – 17 October 2019 (PDF, 254.6 KB)

Minutes of the 265th Meeting of the Ofcom Board – 18 September 2019 (PDF, 216.8 KB)

Minutes of the 264th Meeting of the Ofcom Board – 17 July 2019 (PDF, 202.9 KB)

Minutes of the 263rd Meeting of the Ofcom Board – 18 June 2019 (PDF, 221.2 KB)

Minutes of the 262nd Meeting of the Ofcom Board – 22 May 2019 (PDF, 174.9 KB)

Minutes of the 261st Meeting of the Ofcom Board – 10 April 2019 (PDF, 230.6 KB)

Minutes of the 260th Meeting of the Ofcom Board – 20 March 2019 (PDF, 215.1 KB)

Minutes of the 259th Meeting of the Ofcom Board – 6 February 2019 (PDF, 171.3 KB)

Minutes of the 258th Meeting of the Ofcom Board – 11 December 2018 (PDF, 176.8 KB)

Minutes of the 257th Meeting of the Ofcom Board – 13 November 2018 (PDF, 178.5 KB)

Minutes of the 256th Meeting of the Ofcom Board – 2 October 2018 (PDF, 129.7 KB)

Minutes of the 255th Meeting of the Ofcom Board – 18 September 2018 (PDF, 159.5 KB)

Minutes of the 254th Meeting of the Ofcom Board – 17 July 2018 (PDF, 168.7 KB)

Minutes of the 253rd Meeting of the Ofcom Board – 19 June 2018 (PDF, 157.6 KB)

Minutes of the 252nd Meeting of the Ofcom Board – 22 May 2018 (PDF, 163.7 KB)

Minutes of the 251st Meeting of the Ofcom Board – 17 April 2018 (PDF, 173.8 KB)

Minutes of the 250th Meeting of the Ofcom Board – 20 March 2018 (PDF, 193.7 KB)

Minutes of the 249th Meeting of the Ofcom Board – 27 February 2018 (PDF, 210.5 KB)

Minutes of the 248th Meeting of the Ofcom Board – 16 January 2018 (PDF, 146.8 KB)

It is our policy to keep board and committee minutes on our site for two years only. Older minutes can be accessed via the National Archives.

Lord Burns is Senior Adviser to Banco Santander. Terry is also a member of the House of Lords Economic Affairs Select Committee. He is also is also Chairman of the Young Classical Artists Trust (YCAT), Mid Wales Music Trust and Vice President of the Royal Academy of Music.

He was Chief Economic Advisor to the Treasury and Head of the Government Economic Service from 1980 to 1991 and Permanent Secretary to the Treasury from 1991 to 1998.

Previous appointments include Chairman of Santander UK plc, Channel 4 Television Corporation; Marks and Spencer plc, Welsh Water, the National Lottery Commission and The Royal Academy of Music. He was also Chairman of the Lord Speaker’s Committee on the Size of the House.

From 2004 to 2006 he was Independent Adviser to the Secretary of State on the BBC Charter Review.

Terry joined the Board on 1 January 2018. His appointment runs until 31 December 2021.

Dame Melanie Dawes joined Ofcom as an Executive Board Member and Chief Executive on 2 March 2020. Prior to joining Ofcom, Melanie was Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (2015-2020). She has held senior roles across the Civil Service, working in partnership across the public and private sectors. She became the overall Champion for Diversity and Inclusion in the Civil Service in 2019.

She started her career as an economist and spent 15 years at the Treasury, including as Europe Director. She was Director General of the Economic and Domestic Affairs Secretariat at the Cabinet Office between 2011 and 2015, and prior to that she served on the Board of HMRC as Head of Business Tax. She was Director General for Business Tax from November 2007, which involved responsibility for all the business taxes and duties as well as leadership of the department’s relationships with big business. From 2009, she also led the development of HMRC’s overall strategy as a department.

She has held non-executive roles including with the consumer body Which? and is a trustee of the Patchwork Foundation, which promotes the participation of under-represented young people in democracy.

Kevin Bakhurst joined Ofcom in October 2016 as Group Director for Content and Media Policy, overseeing our broadcast and online regulation and policy. He was appointed to the Ofcom Board in March 2020 and is also a member of Ofcom’s Content Board.

Prior to joining Ofcom, Kevin was Managing Director, News and Current Affairs, Deputy Director General, and then Acting Director General with Ireland’s national broadcaster, RTÉ.

After graduating from Cambridge University, Kevin worked at Price Waterhouse before joining the BBC as a researcher in 1989. He went on to edit the Ten O’Clock News, becoming Deputy Head of the BBC Newsroom and Controller of the BBC News channel and BBC News at One. During his time editing BBC news bulletins, the programmes won awards from organisations including BAFTA and the Royal Television Society.

Outside work, Kevin was a Magistrate from 2000 until 2006.

Maggie Carver was appointed to the Ofcom Board as Deputy Chair, with effect from 30 September 2018. She is a member of Ofcom’s People Committee.

Maggie is Chairman of the Racecourse Association and of the British Board of Film Classification. In addition, until its sale in December 2017, she owned and ran with her husband, a retail and online business specialising in the sale of goods for the elderly and disabled.

Maggie’s working life began in investment banking, followed by a number of roles in the media industry. She was involved in the setting up of ITV franchise, Meridian Broadcasting, and was Managing Director of Channel 4 Racing producer and outside broadcaster, ThreeonFour. Additionally, since 1991, she has gained extensive experience as a non-executive director on the boards of 17 companies, public, private and not-for-profit. These include chairing news and programme provider ITN and multiplex operator SDN, as well as the boards of Channel 5 Television, RDF Media plc, Satellite Information Services, armed forces broadcaster, SSVC, and British Waterways.

Maggie joined the Board on 30 September 2018. Her appointment runs until 29 September 2022.

Graham Mather was appointed to the Ofcom Board with effect from 1 June 2014. He is a member of Ofcom's People Committee.

Graham Mather was a member of Ofcom's Consumer Panel from 2004 to 2008. He served as a member of the Monopolies and Mergers Commission and, between 2000 and 2012, was also member of the Competition Appeal Tribunal, the body that deals with appeals from the UK regulators. Graham is currently the President of the European Policy Forum and Chairman of its Regulatory Best Practice Group. Graham is a member of the Board of the Office of Rail and Road.

He was appointed CBE in the Queen’s 2017 Birthday Honours list for services to economic regulation, competition and infrastructure development.

Graham joined the Board on 1 June 2014. His appointment runs until 31 May 2022.

Ben Verwaayen was appointed to the Ofcom Board with effect from 1 January 2016, and in July 2019 was reappointed for a further term to 31 December 2023. He is Chairman of the People Committee.

Ben has 30 years' experience in running major telecoms, technology and media companies in executive and non-executive roles. He is currently a General Partner at investment fund Keen Venture Partners and holds various Board positions, including Akamai in the US.

Ben is a former Chief Executive of BT, KPN in the Netherlands and Alcatel Lucent, and has served as a Chairman of Endemol.

Ben joined the Board on 1 January 2016. His appointment runs until 31 December 2023.

Tim Suter was appointed to the Ofcom Board with effect from 2 October 2017. He is currently Chairman of the Content Board and a member of the People Committee.

Tim Suter was a BBC producer, editor and senior manager for 15 years, working across television, radio and on-line and in genres as diverse as drama, documentary and current affairs.

In 2002 he was appointed Head of Broadcasting Policy in the Department for Culture Media and Sport, responsible for the Communications Act of 2003 that overhauled the policy approach to the converging industries of media and telecommunications and included the creation of the converged regulator, Ofcom.

Tim joined Ofcom at its inception in 2003 as the founding Partner for Content and Standards, overseeing the regulation of all broadcast content, the development of policy and its implementation. After five years at Ofcom, Tim left to found Perspective Associates, advising media companies, governments and regulators on media policy and regulation. As well as working with major international media companies across the UK, Europe, Africa and the Middle East, Tim has also been a special advisor to the House of Lords Communications Committee, and the chair of an expert panel advising the Council of Europe of the governance of Public Service Media.

Tim joined the Board on 2 October 2017. His appointment runs until 1 October 2021.

Bob Downes was appointed to the Ofcom Board with effect from 1 February 2018. He is a member of the Content Board and the People Committee.

Bob is the current chairman of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and of CENSIS, an innovation centre for sensors and imaging systems. He is a trustee of the Mackintosh Campus Renewal Appeal for Glasgow School of Art, and an advisor to a number of small technology businesses. Formerly he was a senior executive with BT Group.

Bob joined the Board on 1 February 2018. His appointment runs until 31 December 2022.

Dr Angela Dean was appointed to the Ofcom Board on 30 September 2018 as the Audit and Risk Member for Ofcom. She chairs Ofcom’s Risk and Audit Committee and is a member of the People Committee.

Angela was a financial analyst of European communications and technology companies for almost 20 years. As a Managing Director of the investment bank Morgan Stanley, she headed its global technology research team. She was also a Director for Socially Responsible Investment at Morgan Stanley, and produced its first Environmental Policy Statement. She was a member of the Working Group of the United Nations Global Compact for corporate social responsibility issues in investment.

Angela is currently Chair of International House Trust, a leading independent language organisation, a member of Council of King’s College London, and a trustee of York Museums Trust. She is a Senior Independent Panel Member for Public Appointments. Previously she was a trustee of the Heritage Lottery Fund and a member of the Museums, Archives and Libraries Council. Angela holds an MA and D.Phil in Modern History from the University of Oxford.

Angela joined the Board on 30 September 2018. Her appointment runs until 29 September 2022.

David Jones was appointed to the Ofcom Board with effect from 8 April 2019. He is a member of Ofcom’s People Committee and Risk and Audit Committee. David is currently a non-executive director of Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, which is one of Wales’ largest, covering five separate local authority areas. The Health Board is currently building a new 470 bed hospital.

David is Chair of the Information Governance Committee. David is also non-executive director of the Welsh Revenue Authority, the body responsible for collecting and managing Welsh taxes on behalf of the Welsh Government and is a member of the board of Qualifications Wales.

David joined the Board on 8 April 2019. His appointment runs until 07 April 2023.