Tony Hall, Baron Hall of Birkenhead

Anthony William Hall, Baron Hall of Birkenhead, CBE (born 3 March 1951), usually known as Tony Hall, has been chief executive of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, since 2001. His early career was spent at the BBC, where he became Director of News in 1993. He became a crossbench member of the House of Lords on 22 March 2010. From March 2013, Hall will be Director-General of the BBC.

Early life
Hall was born in Birkenhead, Wirral, England in 1951, the son of a bank manager. He was educated at King Edward's School, Birmingham, Birkenhead School and Keble College, Oxford, where he studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE).

BBC career
After graduating, Hall joined the BBC as a trainee in 1973, initially working in the Belfast newsroom. He later worked as producer on Today, The World at One, The World Tonight, and PM. He became editor of the 9 O'Clock News at the early age of 34. He was appointed director of News and Current Affairs Television at the BBC in 1990 and, combining TV and radio, became director of News in 1993. He was Head of Current Affairs between 1996 and 2001. Among his career achievements are the launch of BBC Parliament, Radio 5 Live, BBC News 24, and BBC News Online. In 1999 he was an unsuccessful candidate for the position of Director General of the BBC.

On 22 November 2012 he was appointed Director-General of the BBC, expected to start in March 2013.

Royal Opera House career
Tony Hall became Chief Executive of the Royal Opera House in April 2001. He set up ROH2, a department devoted to supporting new artists and developing new audiences. Since then, he set up new initiatives to widen access to the Opera House - including big screen relays to locations across the UK, Paul Hamlyn matinees, and other low-price ticket schemes.

In 2007, he oversaw the ROH's purchase of Opus Arte, a ballet and opera DVD/Blu-ray production and distribution company. As a Royal Opera House subsidiary, Opus Arte has relaunched its website as an online classical music retailer, selling both digital and physical products from across all the major record labels.

His salary increased from £165,000 to £205,000 between 2010 and 2011, making him the highest paid Chief Executive of any charity in the UK. His emoluments for management of the Royal Opera House exceeded £390,000 per annum during the years ending 29 August 2010 and 2011 respectively.

External posts
Hall was inaugural chair of the industry-led sector skills council, Creative & Cultural Skills, a post he held between 2004 and 2009. The sector skills council introduced the first formal creative apprenticeships; won government approval to build a state-of-the-art National Skills Academy for backstage skills located with the Royal Opera House production park in High House Purfleet in Thurrock, Thames Gateway; and maintains a careers advice and guidance website called Creative Choices.

He was chair of the Music and Dance Scheme Advisory Board, and led a Dance Review for the Department for Education and Skills resulting in an additional £5 million awarded for dance education. He was a member of the Management Committee of the Clore Leadership Programme until 2011. He was on the Culture and Creative Advisory Forum panel for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and was Chair of the Theatre Royal Stratford East until 2009.

He has been an Honorary Visiting Fellow of Journalism at City University, a member of the Regeneration Through Heritage Steering Group, a board member for Race for Opportunity, a board member for Learndirect, and was a member of the Council for Brunel University. Until May 2000 he was Chair of the Royal Television Society. In April 2007, in the wake of the 2007 Iranian seizure of Royal Navy personnel, he was asked to inquire into the MOD's media strategy. He was appointed to the board of the British Council in 2008.

In July 2009, he was asked by the Government and Mayor of London to set up and chair a board to direct the Cultural Olympiad, and also joined the Board of the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games.

Hall has been a trustee of the Paul Hamlyn Foundation since 2011, and was appointed Deputy Chairman of Channel 4 in 2012.

Honours and peerage
Hall was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2006 New Year Honours. In September 2009 Hall was awarded an honorary Doctor of Literature of Goldsmiths, University of London, and is an honorary Fellow of Keble College, Oxford. The Chartered Management Institute awarded him the 2010 Gold Medal Award for outstanding achievement.

In February 2010 it was announced that Hall was to become a life peer and on 19 March 2010, the peerage was created with the title Baron Hall of Birkenhead, of Birkenhead in the County of Cheshire. On 22 March 2010, he was introduced in the House of Lords, where he sits on the Crossbenches.

Personal life
Hall is married to Cynthia, former headmistress of The School of St Helen and St Katharine, and now head of Wycombe Abbey, both girls' schools. They have two children.