Dawn Airey among Channel 4 non-exec directors

Dawn Airey, Tess Alps and Sarah Sands are among the individuals who will help shape the future of Channel 4 after being appointed non-executive directors.

Alongside David Kogan, a former BBC and Reuters exec, they will serve a three-year term that could involve steering the broadcaster into private hands – if the government’s previously-stated preferred option for a change of ownership is enacted.

In August, it emerged that the government asked potential candidates to demonstrate experience of having negotiated “significant corporate transactions”, with Airey demonstrating this most clearly.

She was chief executive of Channel 5 in 2010, when the business was sold by European media group RTL to Richard Desmond’s Northern & Shell. Airey subsequently joined RTL in a group role before joining Yahoo! for two years. In 2015, she was appointed by then culture secretary John Whittingdale as part of an eight-strong board examining the BBC charter renewal process.

A former ITV and Sky exec, Airey is currently chair of the National Youth Theatre, FA Women’s Super League and FA Women’s championship.

Tess Alps is chair of Thinkbox, the marketing body which represents commercial broadcasters, including C4, having acted as its chief executive for 14 years. A council member of the Advertising Standards Authority, she began her career at media buying agency PHD.

Sarah Sands has been a journalist for 35 years. Most recently editor of BBC radio 4’s Today programme, she stood down after three years in the role in 2020, having previously worked in senior positions for the Evening Standard, Daily Mail and Telegraph.

David Kogan is a former Today programme producer, who also worked at Newsnight. After leaving the BBC he spent nine years at Reuters TV, rising to become global managing director, before setting up media advisory business Reel Enterprises.

The appointments, proposed by an Ofcom board led by its interim chair Maggie Carver, chair Charles Gurassa and independents Libby Watkins and Cindy Butts were approved by culture secretary Nadine Dorries.

In April the government vetoed the decision, made by C4 and the regulator, to reappoint Uzma Hasan and Fru Hazlitt to their non exec director roles.

Referring to the four appointments, Gurassa said: “They have all enjoyed long and distinguished careers in the media and creative industries and their deep sectoral knowledge will be a huge asset to the Board. As well as bringing a breadth and depth of personal creative and leadership experience, they all share a great admiration and enthusiasm for Channel 4’s unique role and creative energy.”