The BBC has appointed Bérangère Michel as its new Group Chief Financial Officer, bolstering its senior leadership at a time when the organisation is navigating financial pressures and long-term strategic change.

The appointment was announced in a BBC press release, which said Michel will take up the role in early January and report directly to Director-General Tim Davie. She will also join the BBC Executive Committee and, notably, become a member of the BBC Board — the first time the Group CFO role will carry board-level responsibility.

Michel joins the public broadcaster after a 16-year stint at the John Lewis Partnership, where she held several senior leadership positions. Her roles included Chief Financial Officer, Customer Service Executive Director, Operations Director, and Finance and Strategy Director, giving her wide-ranging experience across finance, operations and customer-focused transformation in a complex commercial environment.

Prior to John Lewis, Michel spent over a decade at the Royal Mail Group, working across finance, strategy and transformation functions. During this period, she served as Finance Director of the group’s property division, overseeing financial management during significant organisational restructuring.

In her new role, Michel will be responsible for shaping and overseeing the BBC Group’s overall financial strategy, spanning BBC Public Service, BBC Studios and the corporation’s commercial subsidiaries. The BBC said the appointment is aimed at strengthening financial governance, supporting its ongoing transformation programme and ensuring responsible stewardship of both licence fee income and commercial revenues.

Welcoming Michel’s appointment, Director-General Tim Davie said she brings “a wealth of experience” from her leadership roles at the John Lewis Partnership and will play a critical role in shaping the BBC’s financial strategy as it prepares for Charter renewal and accelerates organisational change.

BBC Chair Samir Shah described the Group Chief Financial Officer position as “hugely important” for building a future-ready BBC and said he looked forward to working with Michel as she joins the Board.
Commenting on her new role, Michel said she was delighted to be joining the BBC, calling it an institution whose mission and public purpose she has long admired. She added that she was keen to contribute to shaping the organisation’s future at what she described as a pivotal moment.
The appointment comes as the BBC faces growing scrutiny over public funding, rising costs and a rapidly evolving media landscape, placing renewed emphasis on strong financial leadership at the highest level of the organisation.