P&G raises doubts over Burt as ITV chairman

ITV's choice of chairman, former Bank of Scotland boss Sir Peter Burt, has failed to win over the UK's biggest private advertiser, consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble.

Months of speculation ended last week when ITV announced that Sir Peter would, on 15 March, become non-executive chairman of the company, formed by the merger of Granada and Carlton Communications.

But Procter & Gamble UK and Ireland, which spent more than £100m on marketing last year and is the country's second biggest advertiser, after the Government, has expressed disappointment at Sir Peter's lack of broadcasting experience.

Bernard Balderston, the associate director of UK and Irish media at the consumer goods giant, said Sir Peter's solid reputation in the City was a bonus and should help the company drive through planned cost savings.

"We will have to remain neutral about his appointment because he's such an unknown quantity," he added. "But it would have been helpful to appoint someone with previous experience in broadcasting. How he can adapt to running [ITV], which is very different to running a bank, remains to be seen."

Sir Peter, however, remained unfazed by market reservations, commenting: "As well as being there for shareholders, I'm also there to make sure that the executive board delivers value to advertisers." He added he would meet with advertisers but did not say when.