Who barked when ?

It's probably time to be a bit nicer to BBC DG Mark Thompson, and harder on the so-called wise men and women apparently supervising his every move. Is it really right that he should be lectured on salaries by a banker of 33 years' standing ?

BBC Trustee Antony Fry is that banker. In front of the Public Accounts Select Committee this week, alongside Thommo, Antony answered thus on executive pay at the BBC. “This is a matter of legitimate public concern. At the Trust, we are very focused on that. We have encouraged the director-general in his efforts. If you’re asking me, do I wish that those announcements [reducing executive headcount and reducing senior management pay bills] had been made 24 months ago, I certainly do."

The vital question is was that "wish" expressed two years ago ?   Our Antony has been on the Trust for two years, 4 months.  His first Trust meeting was in November 2008, but he only attended for Agenda items 169 to 179.  In that time Mark Thompson said the Executive were going to waive their bonuses.  There's no minute of a comment from Antony.   Antony then missed the Trust meetings in December 2009 (where there were conversations about capping costs in the light of the economic downturn, but no more) and January 2010.  He did manage to make the February 2010 meeting, but again for only part of the agenda. During his attendance, it's noted that the DG updated the meeting on discussions with staff representatives regarding the next pay settlement.  There is no record of an exhortation to cut senior managers or their pay.

I may, of course, be doing Mr Fry a disservice.  He probably had a word in Thommo's shell-like during one of the two days a week he puts in for the Trust.

Mr Fry left Magdalen, Oxford with a first in history in 1977, having served a term as President of the University Conservative Association. He went straight to Rothschilds, where he advised the governments of the UK, Pakistan and New Zealand on privatisation, and led a failed lottery franchise bid.  After 19 years, he moved on through Barclays De Zoete Webb,  Credit Suisse First Boston and Lehmanns.  He's now a senior adviser at "boutique" investment bank, Evercore; Chairman of the CALA, the Scottish housebuilding group;  Chairman of Dairy Crest; and a non-executive director of Control Risks.