Former Google boss Matt Brittin has started his first day in the job.
The new director-general of the BBC has warned staff “tough choices are unavoidable as we make savings” and said the corporation must “experiment more bravely”.
Former Google boss Matt Brittin also said the BBC must move with “velocity and clarity” and call on a “sense of urgency” to serve its audiences.
The corporation is looking to slash 2,000 jobs as it tries to reduce costs by 10% over the next three years.
In a note to staff on his first day, Mr Brittin said: “We must be where audiences are, and experiment more bravely: test ideas, learn quickly and back what works.
“Audiences will value the fact we are listening, innovating and working hard to serve them better.
“I know change will not be easy. Tough choices are unavoidable as we make savings.
“We should ask ourselves, honestly: if we were inventing the BBC today, what would we do? Then respond with clarity, pace and purpose.”
Mr Brittin takes the job during a turbulent time for the broadcaster, as it grapples with a billion-dollar lawsuit from US President Donald Trump and questions over the future of the licence fee.
In his note to staff seen by the Press Association, he said: “I’ve already seen our brilliant creative, editorial and technical people coming together to meet the moment every day.
“The BBC has proved throughout its history how quickly it can reinvent itself to serve the needs of audiences – from restructuring for World War Two to repurposing during Covid to spinning up services in conflict zones. We need, collectively, to call on that sense of urgency now.
“That means moving with velocity and clarity.”
He said his three areas of focus would be on making the case for the BBC as it faces charter renewal; editorial excellence; and “increased velocity – making the savings we must and the choices we should, simplifying the BBC for staff and audiences alike”.
Mr Brittin arrived at BBC Broadcasting House in Portland Place, central London, just before 8.15am on Monday, wearing a dark suit, and greeted reporters waiting outside the building.
He said he was “honoured” and “humbled” to be taking the job, and had had a “really strong coffee” and taken a “deep breath” before his first day.
The director-general added: “I’m also very aware how complicated, uncertain and fast-changing the world is, and I think when I look at the 100-year history of the BBC, how it serves its audiences, how it’s adapted at pace and has risen in times of crisis, I also believe that today the world needs the BBC more than ever, here in the UK and around the world, for today and for tomorrow.”
A handful of protesters holding placards bearing the logo of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) stood outside the office waiting for him.
One sign read “Newshour bosses: share the cuts pain” and another read “BBC Radio World Service don’t sink the flagship”.
A former McKinsey consultant, Mr Brittin worked for Google from 2007, leaving in 2025 after being the head of their Europe, Middle East and Africa region for a decade.
His salary will be £565,000, the same as his predecessor Tim Davie, the Press Association understands.
The new BBC DG was a member of the British Olympic rowing team in Seoul 1988 and won a bronze medal at the World Rowing Championships in 1989.
The Cambridge alumnus also rowed in the 1987, 1988 and 1989 Boat Races.
He was made a CBE in the King’s New Year honours earlier this year, for his services to technology and the enhancement of digital skills.
The chairwoman of Parliament’s Culture, Media and Sport (CMS) committee, Dame Caroline Dinenage, said Mr Brittin “will have a significant job on his hands” in a “period of turbulence”.
During the tenure of Mr Davie, who had been in the top job at the BBC since 2020 and announced his resignation in November 2025, the corporation faced a number of controversies.
Editorial coverage led to a 10 billion dollar (£7.5 billion) lawsuit from Mr Trump over the editing of a Panorama documentary, which prompted Mr Davie’s resignation.
The lawsuit claimed the documentary, which was broadcast in 2024, had given the impression Mr Trump encouraged his supporters to storm the Capitol building in 2021, after he lost the 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden.
More recently, the corporation faced criticism for allowing a racial slur to be broadcast during the Bafta Film Awards, which came after a previous editing incident over the summer when the BBC continued to livestream the Bob Vylan Glastonbury set as they led chants of “death, death to the IDF (Israel Defence Forces)”.
During Mr Davie’s time one of the BBC’s highest paid newsreaders, Huw Edwards, pleaded guilty to making indecent images of children and admit to having 41 photographs on WhatsApp, including seven of the most serious type.
Mr Davie signed off days after Radio 2 breakfast host Scott Mills had his contract with the broadcaster terminated after allegations about his “personal conduct”.
The DJ confirmed a police investigation into allegations of a historical sexual offence in 2017 was about him, and that he was subjected to “rumour and speculation” since the BBC announced his sacking.
At the time of his appointment, Mr Brittin, 57, said: “Now, more than ever, we need a thriving BBC that works for everyone in a complex, uncertain and fast-changing world.
“At its best, it shows us, and the world, who we are. It’s an extraordinary, uniquely British asset, with over 100 years of innovation in storytelling, technology and powering creativity. I’m honoured and excited to be asked to serve as director-general.”
He added: “This is a moment of real risk, yet also real opportunity. The BBC needs the pace and energy to be both where stories are, and where audiences are.
“To build on the reach, trust and creative strengths today, confront challenges with courage, and thrive as a public service fit for the future. I can’t wait to start this work.”
Meanwhile, the BBC has published the advert for the new deputy director-general role, a role that is advertised internally, and will close on May 25.
The deputy DG will work on behalf of the DG and will be responsible for shaping and delivering the BBC’s editorial strategy and standards.
They will deputise for the DG as needed.
