City financier Kolade joins ranks of Channel 4 chair contenders

A starring financier and Conservative Party donor is among the contenders vying to seat Channel 4, the state-owned broadcaster.

Sky News has learnt from Whitehall sources that Wol Kolade has been shortlisted to regenerate Sir Ian Cheshire astatine the helm of the company.

Mr Kolade, who has donated hundreds of thousands of pounds to Tory coffers, is said by Whitehall insiders to beryllium 1 of a fistful of remaining candidates for the role.

A proposal from Ofcom, the media regulator, to civilization caput Lisa Nandy astir its proposal for the Channel 4 chairmanship is understood to beryllium imminent.

Mr Kolade, who heads the backstage equity steadfast Livingbridge, has held non-executive roles including a spot connected the committee of NHS Improvement.

He declined to remark erstwhile contacted by Sky News connected Monday.

His candidacy pits him against rivals including Justin King, the erstwhile J Sainsbury main enforcement who past week stepped down arsenic president of Ovo Energy.

Debbie Wosskow, an existing Channel 4 non-executive manager who has applied for the seat role, is besides said by authorities sources to person made it to the shortlist.

Sir Ian stepped down earlier this twelvemonth aft conscionable 1 term, having presided implicit a palmy effort to thwart privatisation by the past Tory government.

The Channel 4 chairmanship is presently held connected an interim ground by Dawn Airey, the media manufacture enforcement who has occupied apical jobs astatine companies including ITV, Channel 5 and Yahoo!.

The contention to pb the state-owned broadcaster's committee has acquired further value since aft the resignation of Alex Mahon, its long-serving main executive.

It has since been reported that Alex Burford, different Channel 4 non-executive manager and the brag of Warner Records UK, was funny successful replacing Ms Mahon.

Ms Mahon, who was a vocal hostile of Channel 4's privatisation, is leaving to articulation Superstruct, a backstage equity-owned unrecorded amusement company.

The assignment of a caller seat is expected to instrumentality spot by the autumn, with the chosen campaigner expected to pb the recruitment of Ms Mahon's successor.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport declined to remark connected the recruitment process.