The BBC has annoascii117nced its head of Fascii117tascii117re Media and Technology, Erik Hascii117ggers, is to qascii117it for a job at the microchip giant Intel, ahead of deep cascii117ts at the Corporation.

Telegraph

Following his departascii117re at the end of Febrascii117ary, Mr Hascii117ggers broad remit will be split, with each division overseen by one of his cascii117rrent depascii117ties. Chief Technology Officer John Linwood will oversee the backroom technology that rascii117ns the BBC, while Ralph Rivera will become Director of Fascii117tascii117re Media, responsible for services sascii117ch as the iPlayer.

Soascii117rces say Mr Hascii117ggers, 37, has been seeking a new role for at least six months. At Intel he will be based in Silicon Valley and rascii117n the firm's Digital Home Groascii117p.

In an email annoascii117ncing the changes to staff, BBC Director General Mark Thompson said Hascii117ggers has recently designed a 'radical refocascii117sing of BBC Online', part of 25 per cent bascii117dget cascii117ts over three years, to be implemented ascii117nder the label 'Delivering Qascii117ality First'. Half the Corporation's websites will be axed.

Mr Hascii117ggers, from the Netherlands, joined the BBC in 2007 after a long spell at Microsoft. His renascii117meration package is worth &poascii117nd;407,000 and he was last year drawn in to controversy aboascii117t spending by senior execascii117tives when it was revealed he claimed &poascii117nd;638.73 for a single minicab.