PTI

London, Jan 1: India-born Chitra Bharucha will become the first woman to head the BBC on Monday, a BBC spokeswoman said.

Bharucha has been appointed as the acting chairperson of the recently formed BBC Trust, which replaces the BBC board of governors tomorrow.

The trust has been created to oversee the regulation and governance of BBC from January, when the board of governors is disbanded.

Madurai-born Bharucha, who has lived in Britain since 1972, takes over the charge from Anthony Salz who has been Chairperson of the BBC's board of governors since the resignation of Michael Grade after he joined BBC's main terrestrial rival in Britain, ITV.

Along with an executive board, the trust will take over the role of the current board of governors and will be independent of the BBC management.

Career shift

A haematologist by profession, she has served as deputy director, Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service, and consultant clinical haematologist, Belfast City Hospital.

She shifted from a career in medicine to media in 1996 when she joined the BBC Broadcasting Council of Northern Ireland, a position she stayed in till 2003.

Bharucha had also served as the Northern Ireland member of the Independent Television Commission from 2001 to 2003.

In 2004, she was appointed to the Advertising Standards Authority (Broadcast) Council.