James Leaton Gray
Controller, Information Policy, BBC
James Leaton Gray is the Controller, Information Policy in the BBC’s Future Media Division, where he is working on the data and privacy implications of the corporation’s entry into “big data”. For ten years prior to that he oversaw the operation of the Corporation’s systems for compliance with the UK Data Protection and Freedom of Information Acts, amongst others. His team was involved in many high profile cases in this rapidly evolving area of the law.
James has been working in broadcasting, mainly for the BBC, for over 30 years. He has worked on a wide variety of management roles including overseeing projects to ensure the BBC’s impartiality during elections and the introduction of staff multi-skilling in areas of BBC News. Before joining the legal section he was a programme maker and spent much of his time in political journalism. He edited many of the BBC’s Political and Parliamentary programmes including Today/Yesterday in Parliament, The Week in Westminster, Westminster Live, and the documentary series Scrutiny.
He was one of the first staff members to be invited to take part in the BBC’s MBA programme. He is a former Chairman of the Strategic Planning Society, and is a member of the Royal Television Society and the Radio Academy. He is on the editorial board of Data Protection Law & Policy and is a Member of the Examination Board for the Practitioner Certificate in Freedom of Information.