Richard Sharp (BBC chairman)

Richard Simon Sharp (born 8 February 1956) is a British former banker, and Chairman of the BBC from February 2021. He worked for JP Morgan for eight years, and Goldman Sachs for 23 years, and was Rishi Sunak's boss. He has been an advisor to Boris Johnson as London Mayor, and Sunak as Chancellor. He has donated more than £400,000 to the Conservative Party.

Richard Sharp
Chairman of the BBC
Assuming office
February 2021
SucceedingDavid Clementi
Personal details
Born
Richard Simon Sharp

(1956-02-08) 8 February 1956[1]
London, England
Spouse(s)Victoria Hull (divorced)
Children3
ParentsEric Sharp, Baron Sharp of Grimsdyke
RelativesVictoria Sharp (sister)
EducationMerchant Taylors' School and Christ Church, Oxford
OccupationBanker

Early life

Richard Sharp was born on 8 February 1956,[1] in London.[2] He is the son of Eric Sharp, Baron Sharp of Grimsdyke, who was chairman of Cable & Wireless plc from 1980 to 1990.[3] His twin sister, Dame Victoria Sharp, is president of the Queen's Bench Division of the High Court in England and Wales.[3][4]

In 1978, he earned a degree in philosophy, politics, and economics from Christ Church, Oxford.[4]

Career

Sharp worked for JP Morgan for eight years.[5] He then worked for Goldman Sachs for 23 years, rising to chairman of its principal investment business in Europe, before leaving in 2007.[6] He was Rishi Sunak's boss, when they both worked for Goldman Sachs[5] and was an advisor to Boris Johnson, when he was Mayor of London, and has been an unpaid adviser to Sunak on the UK's economic response to the COVID-19 pandemic.[7] He was a member of the Bank of England's Financial Policy Committee from 2013 to 2019.[6]

Sharp was chairman of the Royal Academy of Arts from 2007 to 2012.[6] In January 2021, it was announced that he would be the next chairman of the BBC, and will succeed David Clementi who is due to leave the position in February 2021.[6][7] Speaking shortly after his appointment, Sharp told the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee that he planned to give his £160,000 BBC salary to charity.[8] Controversy surrounded his appointment as it was revealed that not only had he donated more than £400,000 to the Conservative Party, but that he was also formerly the director of the Centre for Policy Studies, a right-wing think-tank that has both falsely accused the BBC of left-wing bias and called for the abolition of the licence fee. Critics pointed out that the person who holds such a position of BBC chairman should be politically impartial.[9][10] The appointment followed the appointment of Tim Davie, a former Conservative Party councillor, to the role of Director-General.[11]

Personal life

In 1987, Richard Sharp married Victoria Hull, an American and fellow Goldman Sachs banker, in Connecticut.[3][12] He is Jewish.[3] In October 2008, they were living in Kensington, and had an estimated net worth of £500 million.[13] They had three children together.[2] Some time after 2014, Victoria Hull married British investment banker Sir Simon Robey.[14]

Sharp has given more than £400,000 to the Conservative Party,[3] and £35,000 to the Quilliam think tank via his charity, the Sharp Foundation.[15]

References
  1. "Richard Sharp CV" (PDF). Bank of England. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  2. Bell, Alex (23 January 2015). "Getting to the Sharp end of a mysterious central bank". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  3. Frazer, Jenni (27 October 2020). "Leading candidate to be next BBC chair is Jewish banking expert Richard Sharp". Jewish News. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  4. Rajan, Amol (6 January 2021). "Who is Richard Sharp, the BBC's new chairman?". BBC News. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  5. Sampson, Annabel (22 October 2020). "Rishi Sunak's former boss is a hot contender for the BBC chairmanship job". The Tatler. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  6. "Former banker Richard Sharp to be next BBC chairman". 6 January 2021 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  7. Bland, Archie (6 January 2021). "Rishi Sunak's adviser Richard Sharp to be next BBC chair". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  8. "BBC's incoming chair to donate £160K salary to charity, inspired by Jewish roots". Jewish News. 15 January 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  9. Chivers, Tom (16 January 2021). "The Cosy Politics of the BBC Chair". Tribune. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  10. Warrington, James (6 January 2021). "Richard Sharp: Who is the surprise new frontrunner to be BBC chair?". CityAM. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  11. "BBC licence fee is 'least worst' option, says new chairman Richard Sharp". BBC News. 14 January 2021. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  12. "Victoria Hull Wed To Richard Sharp". The New York Times. 30 August 1987. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  13. "The 1000". Evening Standard. 2 October 2008. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  14. Semmes, Anne W. (22 March 2019). "Robey Brings Honor to Father Via the London Philharmonic". Greenwich Sentinel. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  15. Oborne, Peter (13 January 2021). "Richard Sharp's donations to Quilliam raise questions about his BBC chairmanship". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
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