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Michael Smyth CBE KC (Hon)

Non-executive director; Member for Northern Ireland

 

Michael Smyth

Roles and responsibilities 

  • As one of the non-exec directors on the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Board, Michael is responsible for upholding and protecting the independence of the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ by acting in the public interest and exercising independent judgement.
  • He is also responsible for ensuring that the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ fulfils its mission to inform, educate and entertain and promotes its public purposes.
  • Michael helps ensure that the Board's decision-making is in the public interest, informed by the best interests of the audience and with appropriate regard to the impact of decisions on the wider media market in the UK.
  • Non-executive directors play a key role in ensuring that the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ maintains the highest standards of corporate governance, particularly with respect to financial reporting, internal control and risk management.

Term of appointment: 20 July 2023 – 19 July 2027

Biography

Michael is an experienced lawyer and regulator. He was for 20 years a partner at international law firm Clifford Chance and head of the firm’s government and public policy practice, his assignments including the Hutton Inquiry and a number of high-profile corporate crises. His textbook on Business and the Human Rights Act was one of the first of its kind and he is joint author of works on political donations and sanctions law.

He has been Senior Independent Director at the Legal Services Board, the oversight regulator for the legal profession and a member of the Press Complaints Commission. He was also a founder director of the Fundraising Regulator, which regulates charity fundraising and was chair of its Complaints Committee. Amongst his many not-for-profit activities he was for a decade chair of Protect, the whistleblowing charity and also Community Links, the pioneering east London charity.

He is non-executive chair of Glastry Advisory Partners, a music management company. Michael was born and educated in Northern Ireland where he keeps a home.

Fees

The fees for non-executive directors of the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Board are set by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.

Non-executive directors receive a base fee of £33,000 per annum.

Michael Smyth receives £5,000 p.a. as chair of the Northern Ireland Committee.

Total fees paid each year: £38,000 per annum.

Expenses and central bookings

Expenses are costs incurred by ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ staff on behalf of the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ and claimed through the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳'s expenses system.

Central bookings are costs incurred on behalf of the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ and booked through the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳'s central bookings system. Both expenses and central bookings are published every three months.

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  • Michael Smyth had no expenses paid in Q2 2023-24
  • Michael Smyth had no expenses paid in Q1 2023-24
  • Michael Smyth had no central bookings in Q1 2023-24

Gifts and Hospitality Register

Gifts and hospitality may only be accepted in line with ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ policy. Information about gifts and hospitality is published every three months.

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Declaration of personal interests

Staff must make a declaration of their personal and business interests, including any memberships or directorships of public or industry bodies, and any shareholdings, as well as any interests that their immediate families may also have.

A summary is published where there is something to declare and where there is nothing to declare. Occasionally an individual will have something to declare but due to the personal nature of the declaration we do not publish details as to do so would breach the General Data Protection Regulation.

This information is published annually, although if any amendments are made during the year an updated summary will be published if necessary as soon as it is available.

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