Thursday 10 July 2008 morning ceremony
Mark Thompson
Ian Henderson
Mark Thompson (LLD)
Mark Thompson is
Director General of the
BBC, and as such is Chief
Executive, Editor-in-Chief
and chair of its Executive
Board. Mark became
Director General in June
2004, and has successfully
steered the BBC through
its ten-yearly Charter
Review process, securing
Licence Fee funding for
the BBC for the next six
years.
Mark was a major author behind Building Public Value, the
BBC’s strategy manifesto for the digital age, and the Creative
Futures project, a far-reaching editorial blueprint for BBC
programming and services to meet changing audience
expectations. During Mark’s time as Director General, the
BBC has launched new platform trials in on-demand
programming including the on-line iPlayer and podcasting, as
well as mobile and high-definition television.
Before re-joining the BBC, Mark was Chief Executive of
Channel 4, a post he had held since December 2001. His
earlier BBC career had spanned 20 years including the
significant roles, in chronological order, of Editor of BBC-1’s
Nine O’Clock News, Editor of BBC-1’s current affairs flagship
Panorama, Head of Features, Head of Factual Programmes,
Controller of BBC-2, Director of National and Regional
Broadcasting and finally Director of Television.
Mark was born in London on 31 July 1957 and was
educated at Stonyhurst College, Lancashire and Merton
College, Oxford University.
Listen to Mark Thompson’s speech here.
Ian Henderson (LLD)
Ian Henderson was born
in London in 1933. He
went on to study at
Wadham College, Oxford
where he read
Mathematics.
During his time there, he
also pursued his interest
and participation in
athletics, where he was a
member of the second
team.
After a spell with the
Royal Navy, during which
he undertook the majority of his actuarial examinations, Ian
joined Norwich Union in 1960.
He then worked for a number of well-known insurance and
finance companies until 1986, when he founded the Exeter
Investment Group. He held the post of Chief Executive until
1999 when he retired, and remained as a non-executive
director until 2004. He served for a number of years as a
member of Council of the University of Exeter and was
Chair of the Exeter Retirement Benefit Scheme, the pension
fund for the non-academic members of the University staff.
Ian maintains various business interests and a variety of
investment trusts.
See Ian Henderson collect his Honorary Degree here.
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