BBC appoints Hayley Valentine as new director of BBC Scotland

The BBC has appointed Hayley Valentine to the role of director of BBC Scotland following Steve Carson’s departure from the corporation to join Irish pubcaster RTÉ.

Hayley Valentine

Experienced journalist and editorial leader Valentine, currently head of BBC Midlands in Birmingham, will take up her new post in early November.

It comes after Carson stepped down from the role over the summer to join RTÉ, where he is its new director of video.

Valentine will lead the development of a wide range of content and services for audiences in Scotland across television, radio and online.

Since joining the BBC in 1996, Valentine has been executive producer of BBC Question Time, head of news at Radio 5 Live, head of the BBC Radio newsroom and the launch editor of BBC Scotland’s Nine news programme.

She has also served as director of current affairs at UK prodco Mentorn. She began her career working as a journalist at DC Thomson and Radio Forth before joining the BBC.

Tim Davie, the BBC’s director general, said: “Hayley is a proven creative leader with a passionate commitment to serving audiences across Scotland. I know she is determined to build on BBC Scotland’s editorial success, strengthening its online services and working with partners right across the sector to ensure Scotland packs a creative punch not just at home, but internationally too.”

Carson, meanwhile, joins RTÉ in the newly created role of head of video as part of the Irish pubcaster’s strategy for the next five years, as outlined in the document A New Direction, published in June. RTÉ said it is aiming to move from being a traditional broadcaster to the preferred streaming destination of Irish audiences.