Cresswell puts himself in the picture

ITV's acting chief executive, John Cresswell, appears as a guest on today's Financial Times "view from the top" video interview. Of course, Cresswell's time at the broadcaster's apex is scheduled to be a brief one, in between Michael Grade's recent exit and the arrival of a new leader. It could be that his moment in the FT's limelight is designed to remind new chairman Archie Norman not to forget his credentials in the chief executive stakes. It will also act as a calling card after he leaves ITV, which is his stated intention. So what is Cresswell's verdict on ITV? "I think we have got to change faster, because the world we are living in is changing faster." He admits that the protracted succession race has been an issue. "It would be wrong to say it has not been a distraction ... It still has not ended, but we are part way there. We have a new chairman in Archie, who started officially on 1 January, extremely good news for the company. We just need to get through the next phase. But things are still happening. There is no vacuum in terms of decision-making." Over to you, Archie.