It reveals that Davie’s total remuneration for 2006-07 increased by 41.5 per cent to £406,000 – making him the 31st best-paid public sector employee. In comparison, Gordon Brown received £188,849 for the same period.
Davie is responsible for all the BBC’s marketing, comms, audience research and insight activities, as well as its audience services department, which includes its customer call centres. He joined the BBC in 2005 after being vice-president, marketing and franchise, at PepsiCo Europe. He is a member of the BBC’s Executive Board, a director of Freeview and of Digital UK, and a trustee of Children In Need.
Others on the rich list include the Cabinet Office’s permanent secretary for government comms Howell James, who was paid £168,100 in 2006-07. British Waterways marketing and customer service director Simon Salem received £158,517, including a bonus of £30,210 and taxable benefits of £9,807.
HM Revenue and Customs director of communications and marketing Chris Hopson received £155,000.
HMRC was forced in September to admit the latest in a string of major errors over tax credits. It released the news just before the end of the last parliamentary session, making it a front-page story. In June, HMRC announced a restructure of its internal comms team from 80 down to 65 officers, through ‘natural wastage’.