Charles L. Allen

Biographical Information
"Mr. Allen is currently the non-executive chairman of Global Radio UK Limited, a leading U.K. commercial radio company. Since May 2008, Mr. Allen has been a senior adviser to the principal investment group of Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. From February 2007 to July 2008, Mr. Allen was a chief advisor to the U.K. government’s Home Office. Prior to that, Mr. Allen served as chief executive officer of ITV plc, the leading U.K. commercial public service broadcaster, having previously served as executive chairman of Granada plc, which he led through the merger with Carlton Communications to form ITV plc. Mr. Allen is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and a Commander of the British Empire (CBE). He previously served as the executive chairman of EMI Music, an international music company and part of EMI Group Limited, having served as its non-executive chairman since 2009 and also on the board of directors, and was chairman of the remuneration committee, of Tesco plc, a large U.K. retailer. He presently serves on the board of directors of Endemol BV, the international television production group."

In July 2011 it was reported that: "Charles Allen, the former chief executive of UK broadcaster ITV, has been named chairman of 2 Sisters Food Group... “

On the 25th May 2012, he was named as the mayor of the Olympic Village in London, for the duration of the games.

"A senior figure in the boardroom for more than two decades, he’s on first-name terms with four of the five living prime ministers (David Cameron once worked closely with him, as communications director at Carlton TV). But it wasn’t the old-school-tie network that led to the top table... And it was she who launched his corporate career – by securing him a place on British Steel’s management trainee scheme. Fast-forward four decades, Allen, now 54, says: “I’d still say I’m working-class, I don’t think your class changes.” He’s run the catering group Compass, Granada TV and ITV plc, and served on the boards of Tesco and the Olympics 2012 bid team. He left ITV with a pension pot said to be worth £11 million (and, it should be pointed out, a reputation as a ruthless job-cutter)... "

Affiliations

 * Chair, British Red Cross (from January 2013 onwards)
 * Director, London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games
 * Director, Virgin Media
 * Patron, Creative Skillset

Related Sourcewatch

 * Compass Group