Greg was appointed chairman of the British Film Institute in February 2008. He was previously director-general of the BBC. In his four years at the BBC he started four new digital television channels, five new digital radio channels, opened two new BBC regions, launched the BBC's interactive television services and helped create Freeview. Greg reversed the trend at the BBC which took employees away from making programmes and made them into managers. In doing so he reduced administration costs dramatically from 24% of total income to 15%. In 2005, he became chairman of HIT and in 2006, he became chairman of Brentford Football Club.