Following a public recruitment process run by RTÉ, the Government has approved Dee Forbes nomination to become RTÉ's next director-general. Forbes, from Cork, is currently head of the Discovery Channel in Europe. Forbes is the first external appointee to the position since 1963 and the first woman to take up the role. The current director general, Noel Curran, will step down in May.
Forbes joined Discovery Communications in 2010 and currently manages commercial and channel activities for the Discovery Network in Northern Europe. Prior to this, she worked at Turner Broadcasting for 14 years. She is also a former non-executive director of the board of The Irish Times.
Chairwoman of the RTÉ board Moya Doherty said, “RTÉ is at a pivotal moment, one where the future shape and financing of public service broadcasting is being re-imagined. I am delighted to have someone with such a breadth of industry experience, such a creative and visionary understanding of the global broadcasting market, and a proven management record.”
Read Hugh Linehan's Irish Times commentary on the appointment.
