Matt Brittin has taken the helm of the supertanker BBC, but there are plenty of icebergs in his way | Jane Martinson

The new DG started by stressing the need for velocity'. First, he'll have to navigate staff cuts, culture wars and a sea of fake news

Matt Brittin's message was pretty clear on his first day as director general of the BBC. It was echoed in a schedule that included an introductory LinkedIn video as well as meetings with the newsroom, podcast, radio, current affairs and research and development teams. It was there in his first all-staff email, which used the word velocity" twice and invoked the second world war to call for a sense of urgency".

Alongside Brittin's affection for the BBC and public service broadcasting, his message can best be summed up as move fast but break nothing".

Jane Martinson is an academic and Guardian columnist. She is a board member of the Scott Trust, which owns the Guardian Media Group, and writes in a personal capacity