Scottish Daily Mail

Is EasyJet boss about to land top job at ITV?

- by Matt Oliver

EASYJET’S Dame Carolyn McCall is rumoured to be one of the leading contenders in the race to become the next boss of ITV.

The 55-year-old airline chief executive is thought to be ahead of rivals and has reportedly been for an interview at the broadcaste­r, which is looking to replace Adam Crozier.

Also on the shortlist for the prestigiou­s post are Direct Line boss Paul Geddes, 48, and Rob Woodward, 57, who is chief executive of the STV Group.

Andrew Griffith, 46, chief financial officer at Sky, was suggested as a contender but is seen as an outside bet.

Former RBS executive Geddes is seen as a safe pair of hands after leading Direct Line through its breakaway from the taxpayerow­ned bank in 2012, as well as its entry into the FTSE 100.

Meanwhile Woodward is set to stand down from STV after a decade in charge, clearing the way for him to take another role.

Griffith, tipped for the top job at Sky when current boss Jeremy Darroch leaves, may be tempted to go elsewhere due to 21st Century Fox’s attempts at a takeover.

It is thought ITV is also seeking a seasoned business leader, rather than someone with specific creative TV experience. Last night, a ITV spokesman declined to comment. He said: ‘The chief executive succession process is ongoing.’ But the speculatio­n McCall was set to take off from EasyJet was followed by a tumble in the firm’s share price yesterday, while ITV edged up.

The mother-of-three – one of just seven female FTSE 100 bosses – has been in her current role for seven years after previously running the Guardian Media Group.

She worked her way up in the company after starting as a research planner and became a close ally of former Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger. The pair built up the paper’s website but were criticised for failing to make it profitable.

However, since joining EasyJet in 2010 McCall has overseen a steady rise in share prices of more than 200pc to its current level. This was despite rival Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary initially dismissing her as ‘some old media luvvie’ due to her lack of airline experience.

She was reportedly approached by retailer Marks & Spencer last year about becoming its boss but she turned down the job.

If McCall is to replace Crozier, she has big shoes to fill.

The 53-year-old – who was on £941,000 a year – is credited with steering ITV through the Great Recession and transformi­ng its fortunes. Under his leadership the company’s revenues have grown by more than £1bn.

And the broadcaste­r has reduced its reliance on advertisin­g through strong investment in its production arm, leading to runaway hits such as Broadchurc­h, Downton Abbey, Poldark and Vera.

The group endured its first drop in full-year advertisin­g revenues since 2009 when it announced its annual results back in March.

Underlying pre-tax profits still rose slightly to £847m in 2016 – compared to £843m in 2015.

Crozier’s departure sparked fears ITV could fall into foreign hands, with US telecoms giant Liberty Global, the parent of Virgin Media, a potential buyer.

Yesterday, EasyJet shares were down 0.8pc, or 11p, to 1347p.

Meanwhile, ITV was up 0.2pc, or 0.4p, to 181.9p.

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