Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Lord Tony Hall gets National Gallery job as he quits as BBC Director-General

Lord Tony Hall’s new job confirmed as he quits as BBC Director-General (Yui Mok/PA)
Lord Tony Hall’s new job confirmed as he quits as BBC Director-General (Yui Mok/PA)

Outgoing BBC Director-General Lord Tony Hall will move into a top role at the National Gallery after leaving the broadcaster.

Lord Hall, who on Monday announced he is stepping down as BBC boss after seven years, has been appointed by the National Gallery as its chairman of the board of trustees.

He will take over the role from Sir John Kingman, who has been interim chairman since Hannah Rothschild stood down from the role in September.

Lord Hall, who has served on the gallery’s board since November, said: “The National Gallery houses the greatest collection of paintings – not just in the UK – but the world. It is a hugely important cultural asset for the country and for the many people who visit from across the globe.

“I am proud to take on the role of its chair. The National Gallery isn’t just about serving those who already love art, but reaching a wider audience and future generations.”

He praised it as “one of our finest institutions” adding: “I look forward to working with (National Gallery director) Gabriele Finaldi, the trustees, and the wider team, to ensure its continued success.”

Lord Hall’s first term as chairman will run until 2024 when he will be eligible to serve a further term, depending on the Prime Minister’s consideration at the appropriate time of any reappointment as a trustee.

Lord Hall will continue as BBC Director-General for six months before departing in the summer.

Having taken up the post in 2013, he said it was a “hard decision” to make, but that he wanted to put “the interests of the organisation first”.

In a message to BBC staff he said he feels he is “leaving the BBC in a much stronger place than when I joined”, adding: “It feels a very different organisation – more innovative; more open; more inclusive; more efficient; more commercially aware.

“And a BBC that’s on cracking creative form. You all have my thanks and admiration for the part you’ve played in that success.”

His departure from the role comes amid a turbulent time for the broadcaster, with issues around equal pay disputes, political bias, diversity and TV licences at the top of its agenda.

Samira Ahmed and Sarah Montague are among the high-profile BBC talent who have received recent payouts over equal pay disputes.

Ms Ahmed won an employment tribunal she brought against the broadcaster when she claimed she was underpaid by a reported £700,000 for hosting audience feedback show Newswatch compared with Jeremy Vine’s salary for TV show Points of View.

Radio presenter Ms Montague won a £400,000 settlement and an apology from the BBC after being treated “unequally” by them for many years.

BBC chairman Sir David Clementi said that Lord Hall “is an inspirational creative leader, within the UK and around the globe, and the BBC has been lucky to have him as our Director-General for the last seven years”.

The BBC Board will soon start advertising for Lord Hall’s replacement, and Sir David said they are “committed to selecting the best qualified person for the job”.

Responding to Lord Hall’s new role at the National Gallery, Culture Secretary Nicky Morgan: “Tony Hall brings with him a wealth of experience and, together with Gabriele Finaldi, he will help ensure the National Gallery continues to go from strength to strength.

“Attracting new audiences must be a priority for all of our cultural institutions and Tony’s impressive and respected background in the arts and cultural sectors makes him well placed to achieve this.

“I’m pleased that the National Gallery’s Board has chosen to elect him as chair.”