The BBC’s extremely paid variety tsar June Sarpong has pocketed greater than £30,000 from talking at company occasions prior to now eight weeks.
The Mail on Sunday can reveal that on prime of her BBC position – for which she is paid £267,000 for a three-day week – the previous tv presenter has additionally appeared at six conferences since June 1.
Sources near Ms Sarpong yesterday confirmed that she earns between £5,000 and £6,000 per gig, that means she earned at the least £30,000 in simply two months.
Whereas the BBC insists that its artistic variety director is doing nothing improper and that bosses are conscious of her further earnings, it’s unlikely to go down properly with colleagues at present going through redundancy, or licence-fee payers who’re footing the invoice for her wage.
The Mail on Sunday can reveal that on prime of her BBC position – for which she is paid £267,000 for a three-day week – June Sarpong (pictured) has additionally appeared at six conferences since June 1
The 44-year-old – who’s paid extra per day than the broadcaster’s prime boss, Director-Common Tim Davie – hosted a merger for Virgin Media and O2 on June 1 on the firm’s new headquarters in Studying.
Workers had been invited to attend the occasion each in individual and nearly however weren’t instructed prematurely that it will be anchored by the star.
That very same month she was additionally the visitor speaker for vitality provider EDF’s ‘in-house content material lab workshop’, the place she mentioned variety and inclusion – the identical topic she is paid to advise on on the BBC – with their workers.
Ms Sarpong additionally hosted a summer time internship for accountancy agency Ernst & Younger alongside Dr Alex from Love Island; took half in a dwell dialogue for Coutts financial institution, entitled Doing Nicely By Doing Good; moderated a panel dialogue for funding firms Coller Capital and Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld; and took half in a dialogue for Converse Up Consulting, which says it specialises in digital, advertising and enterprise transformation.
Ms Sarpong, who was appointed the BBC’s variety champion in 2019 to ‘obtain actual change’, seems on a web site which advertises audio system the place it says she prices £6,000 to £10,000.
Sources near Ms Sarpong (pictured) yesterday confirmed that she earns between £5,000 and £6,000 per gig, that means she earned at the least £30,000 in simply two months
Nonetheless, sources near her final evening stated she costs far lower than different company audio system, including: ‘There are some individuals within the business who’re grasping. June just isn’t certainly one of them.
‘She just isn’t the kind of individual to bend the principles. She desires to interact with individuals and promote change. She has achieved completely nothing improper right here, she is not breaching any pointers.’
A BBC report revealed that she earns £1,700 per day for 3 days every week, that means if she did the job full-time she would earn £445,000.
Compared, Mr Davie’s annual wage is £429,000 which breaks right down to £1,650 per day.
Along with her talking roles, she has additionally revealed a number of books about variety and inclusion, akin to Diversify, The Energy Of Girls, and The Energy Of Privilege: How White Individuals Can Problem Racism.
She was made an MBE in the newest New Yr’s Honours record for companies to broadcasting.
The BBC stated yesterday: ‘June Sarpong just isn’t a full-time member of BBC workers and has at all times been in a position to do work outdoors the BBC – we stated this when she was appointed in 2019. She stories to the BBC’s Group Managing Director who’s made conscious of all further work commitments.’
The BBC (pictured: Broadcasting Home, London) insists that its artistic variety director is doing nothing improper and that bosses are conscious of her further earnings
Nonetheless, this is not the primary time {that a} member of the BBC’s behind-the-scenes workers has been uncovered for accepting profitable charges to speak at company conferences.
In February final 12 months, the broadcaster’s former editorial director Kamal Ahmed handed again £12,000 after this newspaper instructed how he had been paid to talk at a banking occasion for the Aberdeen Commonplace Funding eight days after he was a part of a administration group that introduced cuts to its information division.
The chief, who earlier this 12 months was made redundant from his position which paid him as much as £209,999, apologised to workers in an e mail.
It stated: ‘I realise now that I didn’t assume issues by way of sufficiently on the time of reserving and, though I didn’t break any of the BBC’s pointers on exterior talking, it was a mistake to conform to a price.
‘I’ve instructed ASI this morning that I cannot be taking any cost. I needed to apologize {that a} mistake made by me has develop into a public and inner situation.’
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