A member of the BBC’s board has resigned, citing “governance issues”. Shumeet Banerji also said in a letter that he was “not consulted” about events which led to the departures of the director general Tim Davie and BBC News chief executive Deborah Turness.
A BBC spokesperson said: “Shumeet Banerji today notified the BBC Board of his resignation. Mr Banerji’s term on the Board as a non-executive director was due to end at the end of December, and we thank him for his service. The search for a replacement is already well under way and we will update further in due course.”
The resignations of Tim Davie and Deborah Turness earlier this month came following the furious fallout over a Panorama episode that edited together parts of a speech by Donald Trump from 2021.
The US President has threatened to sue the BBC over the programme, saying it defamed him. The Corporation has apologised, but stopped short of bowing to Mr Trump’s demand for financial compensation.
The broadcasting giant acknowledged the edit in the Panorama programme gave “the mistaken impression that President Trump had made a direct call for violent action” on the day of the riot at the US Capitol building on January 6, 2021.
Mr Banerji is the founder of advisory and investment firm Condorcet, LP.
He stepped down as the chief executive of management consultancy firm Booz & Company in 2012, and he also sits on the board of directors for several companies.
As one of the non-executive directors on the BBC board, Mr Banerji was responsible for upholding and protecting the independence of the corporation by acting in the public interest and exercising independent judgment, according to a profile on its website.
He was also responsible for ensuring the board’s decision-making was in the public interest. Mr Banerji had been in the role since January 2022.
Non-executive directors receive a base fee of £33,000 a year.