Michael Grade
Michael is a proven leader with unrivalled experience at the top of the entertainment industry," Neil Rodford, chief executive of JGG
Born in London in 1943, Michael Grade was educated at Stowe and St Dunstan’s College.
A sports columnist on the Daily Mirror from 1960-66, he spent the next seven years as joint Managing Director of the London Management talent agency.
In 1973 he became Head of Entertainment and Director of Programmes at London Weekend Television, leaving in 1981 to move to the USA to become President of Embassy Television.
He joined the BBC as Controller, BBC-1 in September 1984 and, in conjunction with this role, became Director of Programmes, Television in June 1986 and Managing Director Designate in 1987.
He spent nine years from 1988 as Chief Executive at Channel 4 Television, leaving in June 1997 to become Executive Chairman of First Leisure Corporation. In October 1998, on the appointment of a Non-Executive Chairman, he became Chief Executive and oversaw the restructuring of the Company, leaving at the end of 1999.
There followed a low-key period in his career. First he again took over the family firm, First Leisure, which operated health and fitness clubs, bingo halls, nightclubs and, famously, the Blackpool Tower, but left after selling off many of its assets, including the Tower, and incurring a drop in its share price. From there he became executive chairman of Pinewood-Shepperton Ltd, which was floated on the Stock Exchange in 2004 as part of its expansion programme. Other chairmanships included Hemscott, a financial information group, the National Film and Television School Foundation, Index on Censorship, the National Theatre's Development Council and, in 2002, Camelot, the National Lottery operator. Grade's directorships included the Scottish Media Group, the Television Corporation, Charlton Athletic football club and the Millennium Dome project.
Grade had ambitions to become chairman of the BBC board of governors in 2001, but lost out to Gavyn Davies. He was also on the board of the ill-fated Millennium Dome. He has been chairman of Octopus Publishing, the Camelot Group, and Hemscott, which he has indicated he will be giving up.
Following Davies' resignation as a result of the Hutton Inquiry report, it was announced on 2 April 2004 that Grade had been appointed Chairman of the Board of Governors of the BBC
2006, Grade and the BBC confirmed that he was to resign from his post with the BBC to replace Sir Peter Burt as Chairman and Charles Allen as Chief Executive of one of the companies which formed part of its commercial rival ITV, becoming Executive Chairman of ITV plc effective on 8 January 2007. Grade stood down at the end of 2009.
Currently Grade is the chairman of James Grant Group.
In 1989 Grade was asked by the Home Secretary to chair the Working Group on the Fear of Crime and from 1994 to 1996 he was a member of the National Commission of Inquiry into the prevention of child abuse.
Grade was awarded a CBE in the 1998 New Year’s Honours.
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