ITV has appointed the boss of EasyJet, Carolyn McCall, as its new chief executive.

Ms McCall, who has been at EasyJet for seven years, will take over the running of the commercial broadcaster early next year. ITV’s previous chief executive, Adam Crozier, left in June. She will be paid an annual salary of £900,000, plus pension and possible bonus and incentives. Before running EasyJet, Ms McCall was chief executive at the Guardian. She also is a non-executive director at fashion company Burberry, sits on the board of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and is a trustee at the Royal Academy. Ms McCall said the decision to leave EasyJet had been “really difficult”, but after seven years at the company the time was right for a move: “The opportunity from ITV felt like the right one to take. It is a fantastic company in a dynamic and stimulating sector.”