ITV chief quits

A senior director of newly merged ITV today announced his resignation from the group’s board after less than a year in the job.

Etienne de Villiers said he was stepping down from his non-executive position “in order to reduce his commitments”.

One Sunday newspaper report predicted that Mr Villiers’ exit could signal the start of a cull of the ITV board by new chairman Peter Burt, with several more departures expected in coming months.

Mr de Villiers is said to be a close ally of Michael Green, the former chairman of Carlton Communications whom institutional shareholders prevented from becoming the merged group’s new chairman earlier this year.

However, ITV – formed from a £6bn (€9bn) link-up with Granada in February - stressed that Mr de Villiers’ resignation was in line with his position at the time of the merger.

It said it reflected the fact that the business was now “well integrated and on an even keel”.

Mr de Villiers said he was sorry to leave, but added that his workload was “greater than the time I have available”.

“I agreed to join the board at the time of the merger to ensure it was constructed in an even-handed way and that a chairman was appointed who would look after the interests of all constituents,” he said.

“Those objectives have been achieved and ITV is in a strong position for the future.”

Sir Peter said Mr de Villiers had made a “significant and valuable” contribution to ITV and called his departure “a sad day”.

“However, I recognise his concerns about the volume of work involved and his need to reduce his commitments to a more manageable level. We wish him well,” he said.