Richard Deverell to leave BBC North for London role
Richard Deverell is leaving his post as chief operating officer of BBC North to take a new role with the corporation in London.
Deverell, who has been working on the relocation of five BBC departments to MediaCityUK in Salford, will now oversee the BBC's exit from its properties in West London.
The former BBC Children's controller has been deputy to the corporation's director for the north, Peter Salmon, since March 2009.
In a press statement Salmon said: “Richard has been critical in the creation of BBC North and from the very beginning he was an untiring advocate for the move.
"His drive, passion and unwavering belief that audiences in the North needed to be better served by the BBC helped keep the project on course."
In August last year Deverell moved to quash speculation that key BBC executives would not be moving north by committing his future to Salford.
"I will probably rent in the short term and probably buy in the long term. I will do whatever it takes to get the job done," Deverell said at the time. He then went on to describe the new Salford base as "the biggest and most exciting thing happening in the BBC".
His replacement in Salford will be Alice Webb, currently programme director for BBC Project North.
Webb joined BBC North in April 2009 and has, as part of Salmon's management team, been responsible for fitting out the BBC's three buildings at MediaCityUK and staff migration.
The news comes on the cusp of the first BBC staff beginning their relocation this summer.