The former and somewhat controversial Director General of the BBC, John Birt, has joined the supervisory board of the EMI Group, the committee being led by the boss of the major music firm's new owners, Terra Firma CEO Guy Hands, which is planning the future direction of the record and music publishing company. Birt is expected to spearhead a review into whether EMI's resources and expertise are meeting the major's artists' requirements.
Confirming the appointment, Hands told reporters: "I am delighted that John has agreed to join me and Julie Williamson on EMI's Supervisory Board. He is an excellent addition to the team, and he will be integral in contributing to a strategic plan that will aim for EMI to be the world's most innovative and consumer focused music company and the best home for musical talent".
Birt added: "EMI is an iconic British institution with a worldwide reach, and an extraordinary heritage in nurturing and supporting great musical talent. It will be a privilege to help EMI in the next period of its history to face its challenges and to define and seize new opportunities".
Birt was DG at the BBC from 1992 to 2000. Some would argue that he played a key role in reinventing the Corporation so it could compete in the digital and more commercially diverse media age, although many, especially in the creative community, criticised him for spending far too much time and money on expensive management consultants and unpopular restructuring initiatives that arguably cost far more to implement than any savings they delivered.