Who is Richard Sharp? BBC Chairman Resigns After Loan Scandal

Richard Sharp is an English banker who served as the Chairperson of BBC until his resignation on Friday, April 28, 2023.

“I would like to thank Adam Heppinstall and his team for the diligence and professionalism they have shown in compiling today’s report. Mr. Heppinstall’s view is that while I did breach the governance code for public appointments, he states very clearly that a breach does not necessarily invalidate an appointment.  Indeed, I have always maintained the breach was inadvertent and not material, which the facts he lays out substantiate. The secretary of state has consulted with the BBC Board who support that view,” Sharp said in an official statement.

A report and investigation done by Barrister Adam Heppinstall KC looked into matters regarding Mr. Sharp’s appointment as Chair in an 800K GBP loan guarantee to the former Prime Minister.

Sharp started his career at JP Morgan where he worked for eight years. He also worked for Goldman Sachs for 23 years. He went from being a normal staff to becoming Chairman of its principal investment business in Europe, and eventually left the company in 2007.

He served as a member of the Bank of England’s Financial Policy Committee from 2013 to 2019. He also joined RoundShield – a property investment company – where he served as a senior member from 2014 to 2021.

He was announced as the chairman of BBC in January 2021 as a replacement for David Clementi. He shared that he would donate his 160K BBC salary to charity.