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Sharp has recently been acting as an adviser to finance minister
Rishi Sunak, Sky said.
He will succeed David Clementi, a former deputy governor of the
Bank of England, who is stepping down next month after four
years.
The chairman, who is officially appointed by the queen on the
recommendation of the government, is responsible for upholding
and protecting the independence of the BBC, which is funded by a
licence fee paid by every TV-watching household.
The new chairman will join the broadcaster as it faces some of
the biggest threats to its future since it was founded 98 years
ago.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has voiced scepticism about the
licence fee at a time when the BBC's TV audiences are shrinking
and streaming services like Netflix are growing in popularity.
The BBC is often accused of bias by critics from both ends of
the political spectrum. While some Conservatives perceive it to
be London-centric and left-leaning, those on the left of the
opposition Labour Party see it as biased against them.
A review of the BBC's funding is due in 2022 before its royal
charter needs to be renewed in 2027.
Clementi confirmed he would step down in June when he announced
the appointment of Tim Davie as the new director general of the
broadcaster.
Davie is editor in chief, responsible for the BBC's content
across television, radio and online services, as well as leading
it operations.
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport declined to
comment on the Sky News report.
(Reporting by Paul Sandle and Sarah Young; editing by Guy
Faulconbridge and Estelle Shirbon)
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