Roles and responsibilities
- Deborah oversees the BBC’s News and Current Affairs programming.
- She has responsibility for a team of around 6,000 people, broadcasting to almost half a billion people across the world in more than 40 languages.
Term of Board appointment: 5 September 2022 – 4 September 2024
Biography
Deborah Turness became CEO of BBC News and Current Affairs in September 2022.
She was previously CEO of ITN, where she has led the organisation’s post-Covid strategy for growth in its three major business areas - newsrooms, long-form production and commercial/branded content.
Before this, Deborah became the first president of NBC News International, the global arm of American news network NBC News, in 2017, where she was responsible for overseeing its operations including editorial, production and commercial. She joined NBC News in 2013, becoming the first woman in US history to be President of a network news division, where she led a team of over 3000 journalists and technicians. She was responsible for all editorial content and commercial revenues for NBC News, including major brands TODAY, NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt, Meet the Press and Dateline. During Deborah’s tenure the 3 news programmes regained their position as top ratings performers in the competitive US news market.
Prior to joining NBC News, Deborah was editor of ITV News where she was their first female editor and the youngest ever editor of ITV News. During her tenure, the organisation won an Emmy and three consecutive BAFTA awards, as well as several RTS Programme of the Year awards. She also completed a mini-MBA course at Ashridge Business School while in the role.
Deborah first joined ITN as a freelancer while on a post-graduate journalism course in France in her early twenties. Over the following years, she worked across the foreign, home and planning desks before joining the North of England bureau. Deborah was ITN’s Washington Bureau producer during the Clinton White House years and spent time in Bosnia during the Balkans War. In 1997, she played a key role in launching 5 News before moving to Channel 4 as editor of its breakfast programme, RI:SE.
Annual remuneration (as at July 2023)
- £233,000
Expenses and central bookings
Expenses are costs incurred by BBC staff on behalf of the BBC and claimed through the BBC's expenses system.
Central bookings are costs incurred on behalf of the BBC and booked through the BBC's central bookings system. Both expenses and central bookings are published every three months.
Downloads
- Deborah Turness had no expenses paid in Q4 2022-23
- Deborah Turness' central bookings Q4 2022-23
- Deborah Turness had no expenses paid in Q3 2022-23
- Deborah Turness' central bookings Q3 2022-23
- Deborah Turness had no expenses paid in Q2 2022-23
- Deborah Turness' central bookings Q2 2022-23
Gifts and Hospitality Register
Gifts and hospitality may only be accepted in line with BBC policy. Information about gifts and hospitality is published every three months.
Downloads
- Deborah Turness had no gifts or hospitality to declare in Q4 2022-23
- Deborah Turness had no gifts or hospitality to declare in Q3 2022-23
- Deborah Turness had no gifts or hospitality to declare in Q2 2022-23
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Declaration of personal interests
Staff must make a declaration of their personal and business interests, including any memberships or directorships of public or industry bodies, and any shareholdings, as well as any interests that their immediate families may also have.
A summary is published where there is something to declare and where there is nothing to declare. Occasionally an individual will have something to declare but due to the personal nature of the declaration we do not publish details as to do so would breach the General Data Protection Regulation.
This information is published annually, although if any amendments are made during the year an updated summary will be published if necessary as soon as it is available.