Liz Forgan

Dame Elizabeth "Liz" Anne Lucy Forgan, DBE (born August 31 1944) is a British journalist and television executive.

Early life

She attended the independent Benenden School in Kent, a girls's boarding school. She was educated at St Hugh's College, Oxford, then an all-female college. She initially worked on newspapers starting with Teheran Journal as Arts Editor 1967-68, at the "Hampstead and Highgate Express" (1969-74), and on London's "Evening Standard" (1974-78, and later as a columnist 1997-98).

Broadcasting management

Forgan was a founding commissioning editor and then Director of Programmes at the UK's Channel 4 from 1981 to 1990. [cite web|url=http://www.hlf.org.uk/English/AboutUs/Decision-makersandmanagers/Trustees/LizForgan.htm| title=Liz Forgan - Heritage Lottery Fund|accessdate=2007-01-28]

She joined the BBC in 1993 to become Managing Director, BBC Network Radio where she developed the format for BBC Radio Five Live and launched the DAB digital radio service. She left the BBC in February 1996 over a disagreement with John Birt, then BBC Director General, over the decision to move BBC Radio News from Broadcasting House to Television Centre. [ [http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_19960225/ai_n14036032 "News move was last straw for Liz Forgan"] by Michael Leapman, "The Independent", February 25, 1996. Retrieved on January 28, 2007.]

Newspaper columnist

She was editor of "The Guardian's" women's pages from 1978 to 1982, a "Guardian" columnist during 1997 and 1998, becoming a non-executive director of the Guardian Media Group [cite web|url=http://www.gmgplc.co.uk/gmgplc/media/news/article/article40.html|title=Scott Trust Appoints New Chair|accessdate=2007-01-28] from 1998, and promoted to become the sixth Chair of The Scott Trust in 2003 [ [http://www.gmgplc.co.uk/gmgplc/scott/history/ History of the Scott Trust] ] , the owner of the Guardian newspapers hence becoming Britain's first female newspaper proprietor.

Public organisations

Since April 2001, the Chair of the National Heritage Memorial Fund since 2001 and Heritage Lottery Fund [cite web|url=http://www.tendowningstreet.gov.uk/output/Page10195.asp|title=Dame Liz re-appointed to the National Heritage Memorial Fund|accessdate=2007-01-28] .

She is also board member of the Conservatoire for Dance and Drama [cite web|url=http://www.bufvc.ac.uk/HiddenTreasures/speakers.html|title=Hidden Treasures Speakers|accessdate=2007-01-28] , Trustee of the Royal Anniversary Trust, a former Board Member of the British Film Institute, a Trustee of the Media Trust and of the Phoenix Trust, and Chair of the Churches Conservation Trust.

Personal life

Liz Forgan was awarded Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to Radio Broadcasting in 2006 and previously awarded the OBE in 1998 also for services to Radio Broadcasting.

She is also the patron of the St. Giles Trust. She lives in Primrose Hill. She had a relationship with Rex Cowan.

ee also

* Jill Tweedie for details of the National Portrait Gallery Group portrait of Forgan, Tweedie, Polly Toynbee and Mary Stott (editors of Guardian's Women's Page) and Posy Simmonds

References

External links

* [http://www.hlf.org.uk/English/AboutUs/Decision-makersandmanagers/Trustees/LizForgan.htm Heritage Lottery Fund]