Roles and responsibilities
- As one of the non-exec directors on the BBC Board, Michael is responsible for upholding and protecting the independence of the BBC by acting in the public interest and exercising independent judgement.
- He is also responsible for ensuring that the BBC fulfils its mission to inform, educate and entertain and promotes its public purposes.
- Michael helps ensure that the Board's decision-making is in the public interest, informed by the best interests of the audience and with appropriate regard to the impact of decisions on the wider media market in the UK.
- Non-executive directors play a key role in ensuring that the BBC maintains the highest standards of corporate governance, particularly with respect to financial reporting, internal control and risk management.
Term of appointment: 20 July 2023 – 19 July 2027
Biography
Michael is an experienced lawyer and regulator. He was for 20 years a partner at international law firm Clifford Chance and head of the firm’s government and public policy practice, his assignments including the Hutton Inquiry and a number of high-profile corporate crises. His textbook on Business and the Human Rights Act was one of the first of its kind and he is joint author of works on political donations and sanctions law.
He has been Senior Independent Director at the Legal Services Board, the oversight regulator for the legal profession and a member of the Press Complaints Commission. He was also a founder director of the Fundraising Regulator, which regulates charity fundraising and was chair of its Complaints Committee. Amongst his many not-for-profit activities he was for a decade chair of Protect, the whistleblowing charity and also Community Links, the pioneering east London charity.
He is non-executive chair of Glastry Advisory Partners, a music management company. Michael was born and educated in Northern Ireland where he keeps a home.
Fees
The fees for non-executive directors of the BBC Board are set by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.
Non-executive directors receive a base fee of £33,000 per annum.
Michael Smyth receives £5,000 p.a. as chair of the Northern Ireland Committee.
Total fees paid each year: £38,000 per annum.
Expenses and central bookings
Expenses are costs incurred by BBC staff on behalf of the BBC and claimed through the BBC's expenses system.
Central bookings are costs incurred on behalf of the BBC and booked through the BBC's central bookings system. Both expenses and central bookings are published every three months.
Downloads
Gifts and Hospitality Register
Gifts and hospitality may only be accepted in line with BBC policy. Information about gifts and hospitality is published every three months.
Downloads
Declaration of personal interests
Staff must make a declaration of their personal and business interests, including any memberships or directorships of public or industry bodies, and any shareholdings, as well as any interests that their immediate families may also have.
A summary is published where there is something to declare and where there is nothing to declare. Occasionally an individual will have something to declare but due to the personal nature of the declaration we do not publish details as to do so would breach the General Data Protection Regulation.
This information is published annually, although if any amendments are made during the year an updated summary will be published if necessary as soon as it is available.