Rhodri Talfan Davies

Rhodri Talfan Davies became Chair of the Board of Trustees on 30 April 2025.

I was appointed the BBC's Director of Nations in January 2021*. I also sit on the BBC’s Executive Committee.

As Director of Nations, I led the BBC’s work serving national and local audiences across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. I also lead the BBC’s Across the UK strategy to decentralise the organisation across the country, as well as the BBC's deployment of Generative AI (artificial intelligence) technology.

The BBC Nations division is one of the largest in the BBC and produces a range of content across TV, radio and online for audiences in the devolved nations and, locally and regionally, in England. I lead the teams responsible for the UK’s biggest news show (the regional BBC One 6.30pm bulletins); a network of 45 local and nations radio stations; and a range of local online services that connect with almost 20m users each week.

For the last 30 years, I have been focused on developing local broadcasting and media services in communities across the UK. And the parallels with the work of BBC Media Action are striking - championing local media that audience trust, delivering powerful stories and information that can transform communities, and harnessing local knowledge and expertise to drive the biggest possible impact.

So, the chance to play my part, in supporting the delivery of trusted media across the world was not an opportunity I had to think twice about.

These are, of course, challenging times for both journalism and international aid in many parts of the world but I am excited and energised about BBC Media Action’s potential to harness the best of the BBC - its expertise, its creativity and its storytelling - to change lives for the better across the world.

*Rhodri Talfan Davies was appointed Deputy Director-General in June 2026. He served as Interim Director-General from April to May 2026. Prior to that, Rhodri joined the BBC Executive Committee in 2021 following his appointment as Director of Nations. In this role he led the BBC’s work serving nations and local audiences across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, as well as leading the BBC’s Across the UK strategy to decentralise the organisation across the country. Alongside his role as Director of Nations, Rhodri has led the BBC’s response to Generative AI – overseeing a range of technical and editorial pilots across news, sport and local services, and introducing new editorial policies and standards to manage the adoption of this new wave of technology. Rhodri was Director of BBC Cymru Wales between 2011 and 2020, where he led the opening of the BBC’s new production centre at Central Square in Cardiff in 2020 and oversaw a transformation in drama production set in Wales.