Matt Brittin, the BBC’s recently appointed director-general, was honoured with a CBE by the Prince of Wales during an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle on Wednesday.
The 57-year-old received the Commander of the Order of the British Empire for his contributions to technology and digital skills development, following an 18-year career at Google, where he served as an executive.
Brittin, who took over from Tim Davie last month, also has an impressive sporting pedigree, having competed for Team GB as a rower at the 1988 Seoul Olympics and claimed bronze at the 1989 World Rowing Championships.
His 92-year-old mother Shirley, son Nick and wife Kate accompanied him to the ceremony.
Matt Brittin, the BBC’s recently appointed director-general, was honoured with a CBE by the Prince of Wales during an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle on Wednesday.
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GETTY
Brittin told PA that he and William discussed his new position at the corporation during the ceremony.
“He was very kind,” Brittin said. “I’ve met him a few times over the years through his charitable work. He also knows me because I’ve just taken on this role at the BBC, so we talked about that, and the responsibility that that role entails.”
Reflecting on his leadership philosophy, the new director-general drew parallels between his athletic background and running a major organisation.
“So what I try to bring is: get people to work together and move in the same direction,” he explained.
Brittin told PA that he and William discussed his new position at the corporation during the ceremony.
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PA
Just five weeks into the job, Brittin acknowledged the need for faster adaptation.
“I’m trying to get people rowing together and moving the boat faster,” he added.
Brittin identified combating misinformation and boosting media literacy as key priorities for the broadcaster.
“At the BBC, we’re concerned about making sure that audiences get incredible quality journalism and creative storytelling that’s homegrown in the UK,” he said.
“We have great journalists, and in this world of misinformation it’s important that people can find the truth, and at the BBC we try to provide that with no agenda,” Brittin stated.
Brittin identified combating misinformation and boosting media literacy as key priorities for the broadcaster.
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PA
The former Google president highlighted BBC Verify, Bitesize and Newsround as crucial tools in this mission, pointing out that Newsround alone reaches over three million young people in schools each week.
“So there’s much more we can do in service of media literacy and understanding how to exist in this world of misinformation,” he added.
The honour comes at a challenging period for the BBC, which is undergoing significant restructuring.
Brittin recently announced that 550 positions will be eliminated from BBC News and television and radio departments as part of wider cuts affecting between 1,800 and 2,000 roles across the corporation.
The broadcaster also plans to decommission television programmes and cancel radio shows as part of efforts to slash commissioning expenditure by £80 million during the 2027 to 2028 financial year.