Tony Hall will take up his post as BBC director general later, returning to the organisation he left in 2001.
Challenges facing Lord Hall, who has been chief executive of the Royal Opera House for the past 12 years, include a dispute over jobs and budget cuts.
He returns to the corporation in the wake of the Jimmy Savile sex abuse scandal which led to the resignation of his predecessor, George Entwistle.
Lord Hall is a former chief executive of BBC news and current affairs.
He is believed to have been on the final shortlist for the director general post ahead of Greg Dyke's appointment in 1999.
The Savile scandal last autumn led to a crisis in the BBC's leadership and journalism.
The BBC's media correspondent Torin Douglas said further revelations would continue to emerge, prompted by the accusations of sexual abuse by former BBC broadcaster Savile and others.
The Dame Janet Smith Review, which is examining the culture and practices within the BBC during Savile's time, has heard from hundreds of witnesses and will report later in the year.
Lord Hall must also tackle a dispute over cuts which unions claim has led to compulsory redundancies, unacceptable workloads and bullying.
Last Thursday, members of the National Union of Journalists and Bectu staged a 12-hour strike, affecting programmes including news bulletins.
But Lord Hall will also look to the BBC's future amid rapid technological change and growing competition.
He has said he is building a management team to "deliver a creative vision that will define the BBC and public service broadcasting for the next decade".
He has already appointed former Labour Culture Secretary James Purnell as director of strategy and digital.
One of Lord Hall's first tasks will be to appoint a director of news and a director of television.
Lord Hall joined the BBC as a news trainee in 1973 and during his 28 year career at the corporation oversaw the launch of Radio 5 live, BBC News 24, the BBC News website and BBC Parliament.
His time at the Royal Opera House saw access to performances widened through nationwide Big Screen relays, the introduction of special low-price ticket schemes and the purchase of a DVD company, Opus Arte, to distribute recordings globally.
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