The chairman of Granada Television, Mr Gerry Robinson, has been chosen to succeed Lord Gowrie as chairman of the Arts Council of England. Mr Robinson, from Donegal, will join the Arts Council immediately, and take over when Lord Gowrie steps down at the end of April.
The Culture Secretary, Mr Chris Smith, announced the appointment of Mr Robinson yesterday. "I am delighted that Gerry has agreed to lead the Arts Council. I look forward to working with him to ensure the long-term health and stability of the arts in this country," Mr Smith said.
"He will take over a council which Grey Gowrie has led with distinction for some years and I should like to thank him for all he has done in that time," he added.
Mr Robinson is a Labour supporter who campaigned for the party in the last general election. As well as chairing Granada, he is also chairman of British Sky Broadcasting.
He has a long association with the arts and is a council member of the English Stage Company. He also chairs the development of the Royal Court theatre. Mr Robinson (49) is married with four children, two from a previous marriage.
The man he replaces, Lord Gowrie, is a former Conservative minister from an Irish family, who served in the Northern Ireland Office.
Mr Robinson is described as affable and charming with a sense of humour. Behind that lies a ruthless business brain. The key to understanding him, say colleagues, is that his expertise is financial. He is a numbers man, not an entrepreneur. His priority at Granada has been to deliver profits to the shareholders.
Michael Foley, Media Correspondent, adds: Mr Robinson is one of Britain's most influential media executives, with interests right across Britain's commercial television sector.
Granada TV is the biggest provider of programmes to the ITV network. The Granada Media Group also owns London Weekend Television, Tyne Tees, Yorkshire Television as well as 18 per cent of ITV.
Mr Robinson is also the chairman of BSkyB since February, 1995, as Granada is the largest shareholder after Rupert Murdoch's News International.
Granada also owns the Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin.
He was a Tory supporter, but last year he announced his support for Labour.
He is the ninth of 10 children and was only 10 years old when his father, a carpenter, moved with his family from Donegal to London's East End.