The BBC's Tim Davie passes on the EPL CEO job.getty images
The Premier League will "draw up a new shortlist" in the search for a CEO after a second person "turned the job down," but it may now be months before Richard Scudamore’s successor is found, according to Martyn Ziegler of the LONDON TIMES. Tim Davie, a BBC exec who had also been on the original shortlist for the post, told his team that he is "remaining in his job." It is another "embarrassment for the Premier League" after Discovery exec Susanna Dinnage "pulled out of the job at the last minute three weeks ago." Richard Masters will continue as the interim CEO and now "looks likely to be in the position until the end of the season." The appointment of a permanent chair will also be delayed until a CEO is found (LONDON TIMES, 1/17). In London, Matthew Garrahan reported Davie and the BBC declined to comment. He is known to have "reassured colleagues that he was happy at BBC Studios," the broadcaster's production and commercial arm, and intended to stay. The league declined to comment about Davie. However, the five-person panel chaired by Bruce Buck, which is in charge of the recruitment, has "extended the search." Tom Betts, director of strategy with ITV, was another candidate before Dinnage was offered the job, but "it is unclear whether he is still a contender." The league’s unique shareholder structure, whereby the CEO is accountable to its 20 clubs, "may have been a factor" in the decisions taken by Dinnage and Davie. One person briefed on Davie’s negotiations with the league said that "some clubs had already begun to lobby him on various issues" -- before he had accepted the position (FINANCIAL TIMES, 1/17). In London, Tom Morgan reported the Premier League is also searching for a new chair, who is "likely to work on a part-time basis." Claudia Arney is currently filling the role on an interim basis (TELEGRAPH, 1/17).
