Johnson was not on any of the publicly talked about shortlists circulating in the press prior to the appointment being made, and at the weekend it was thought that the race had been won by Penny Hughes, the former president of Coca-Cola UK. Guardian Media Group chief executive Bob Phillis was also reportedly up for the job and was seen as the favourite.
The appointment, made by Ofcom, was believed to have been approved by secretary of state for culture, media and sport Tessa Jowell on Monday. Johnson has been appointed for three years and will be paid £67,500 for his part-time role. He replaces Vanni Treves, who has been in the job for five years.
Johnson started his career in advertising with BMP, subsequently joining Kleinwort Benson as a media analyst. But it is as an entrepreneur that he has become best known, floating the pizza chain Pizza Express in 1993. He has recently failed in a bid to buy the company back, but still owns The Ivy, Le Caprice and the Belgo chain.
As well as his business interests, Johnson writes a column for the Sunday Telegraph and is a governor of the London Institute, which represents five art and design colleges.
"Channel 4 plays a critically important role at the heart of UK public service broadcasting, with a brilliant track record at the forefront of innovation and creativity in television. I am very excited by this opportunity to help guide its development in the future," Johnson said.
Channel 4 is state-owned but commercially funded, which is why the chairman's appointment is made by regulator Ofcom.
David Currie, the Ofcom chairman, said: "Luke combines an outstanding commercial and strategic track record with a passion for public service broadcasting and Channel 4. He has the ideal experience to guide the Channel 4 board as it addresses the significant challenges ahead."
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