Tim Davie, the head of BBC Studios, is to replace Tony Hall as director-general of the BBC, the corporation has announced.

Mr Davie said he was “honoured” by the appointment and said it came at “a critical time for the UK” when the value of the BBC to many Britons had been made clear.

“Our mission has never been more relevant, important or necessary. I have a deep commitment to content of the highest quality and impartiality,” he said in a statement.

He added: “Looking forward, we will need to accelerate change so that we serve all our audiences in this fast-moving world. Much great work has been done, but we will continue to reform, make clear choices and stay relevant. I am very confident we can do this because of the amazing teams of people that work at the BBC.”

BBC Studios is the corporation’s commercial arm, selling its content abroad to bolster income derived from the licence fee.

Mr Davie has previously served as acting director-general. He took the reins in 2012 following the resignation of George Entwhistle over a Newsnight report into child abuse that wrongly implicated a Conservative peer.

He joined the BBC in 2005 and has worked in the marketing and audio divisions. Before that he worked for PepsiCo and Procter and Gamble.

Mr Davie stood as a councillor for the Conservative Party in Hammersmith in 1993 and 1994 and was deputy chairman of the Hammersmith and Fulham Conservative Party in the 1990s.