UK Gov Shortlists Sir Ian Cheshire to Chair Ofcom as Michael Grade Exits
The Government have announced that Sir Ian Cheshire has been shortlisted as their preferred candidate to become the next Chair of UK telecoms, internet and media regulator, Ofcom – subject to a parliamentary hearing before final appointment. The post is currently held by Michael Grade (Lord Grade of Yarmouth), but his 4-year term is due to end on 30th April 2026.
Sir Ian is the former Chair of Channel 4 and his career spans senior leadership roles across both the private and public sectors. He has also previously served as the CEO of Kingfisher plc and has held a number of senior non‑executive and advisory roles spanning business, sustainability and public policy, including as Chair of Barclays UK, Debenhams plc, Maisons du Monde and Menhaden plc.
In April 2015, Sir Ian was appointed government Lead Non-Executive, a role he was reappointed to for a further 3 years in April 2018. That same year, he also became Lead Non-Executive Member of the Cabinet Office Board. Suffice to say that the government considers Sir Ian to be “ideally suited to lead Ofcom through its next chapter“.
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Technology Secretary, Liz Kendall, said:
“The work of Ofcom has never been more relevant to people’s lives, from protecting people online to supporting the growth of our communications sector. The organisation sits at the heart of some of the biggest challenges and opportunities facing the country.
Sir Ian has a proven track record of leading complex organisations through periods of significant change, and that is exactly the kind of leadership Ofcom needs right now.
I also want to pay tribute to Lord Grade for his contribution as Chair. He has steered Ofcom through a period of profound change, and his leadership during the introduction of the Online Safety Act has been pivotal.”
Sir Ian Cheshire said:
“Across my career in e-commerce, telecoms and broadcasting I have seen first-hand how much effective regulation matters – for consumers, for businesses and for the wider economy. Ofcom has a critical job to do at a time of rapid change in how people communicate, access information and stay safe online. I look forward to setting out my vision for how Ofcom can meet those challenges when I appear before the Select Committee.”
Mark is a professional technology writer, IT consultant and computer engineer from Dorset (England), he also founded ISPreview in 1999 and enjoys analysing the latest telecoms and broadband developments. Find me on X (Twitter), Mastodon, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads.net and Linkedin.
If this guy is, in the opinion of the government, “ideally suited” to run Roskomnadzor, uh Ofcom, then we can assume his views on censorship, surveillance and generally making the internet a more dangerous place for children and adults are aligned with the government’s. Still, will be interesting to hear what he has to say in his select committee hearing next week.