Former TalkTalk chief bids to lead Channel 4 board
The former boss of broadband provider TalkTalk is bidding to become the first woman to chair Channel 4.
Dame Tristia Harrison is among the contenders to replace Sir Ian Cheshire, The Telegraph has learnt.
She served as chief executive of TalkTalk from 2017 until late last year.
The 52-year-old, who received a damehood for services to telecoms last year, is also on the board of trustees at homelessness charity Crisis and is a non-executive director at retailer Next.
Sir Ian left the broadcaster last month after he was not appointed for a second three-year term. His tenure included a winning fight against privatisation with the Conservatives.
The hunt for a new chairman, which is being overseen by Lord Grade, the chairman of Ofcom, comes at a critical time for Channel 4.
Alex Mahon, the chief executive, last month announced she will also step down this summer. The new chairman will be expected to lead the search for her replacement.
Jonathan Allan, Channel 4's operations chief, will replace Ms Mahon on an interim basis, while veteran media executive Dawn Airey has taken up the role of interim chairman.
Ms Airey, who in previous media jobs sparred with Lord Grade, is not in the running to lead the board permanently. An appointment is expected by autumn.
Dame Tristia is bidding to become the first female chairman of Channel 4 since it was founded in 1982, in competition with the entrepreneur Debbie Wosskow.
Ms Wosskow, 51, is already on the board as a non-executive director, and is seeking the chairman role, Sky News reported.
She founded home exchange website Love Home Swap and is co-chairman of Invest in Women, a government-backed scheme supporting female entrepreneurs.
The new chairman will also be tasked with leading the channel through a period of turmoil for traditional TV.
Channel 4, which is publicly owned but commercially funded, last year crashed to a record £52m deficit after it was hit by an advertising downturn. The company slashed around 240 jobs and said it would sell its London headquarters in an effort to balance the books.
Bosses have said they expect to broadly break even this year. Nevertheless, the broadcaster is facing a significant challenge as it tries to stem the exodus of its target Gen Z audience to streaming rivals and social media apps such as TikTok and YouTube.
The shift in viewing habits has also hurt rival ITV, which is now facing the prospect of a potential merger or sale, while the BBC is locked in talks about the future of its licence fee funding model.
The challenges have led many industry observers to speculate about the need for mergers to take on deep-pocketed US rivals.
Ms Harrison and Channel 4 declined to comment. Ofcom was contacted for comment.
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