Governors

Jay Hunt OBE is Apple TV+ Creative Director for Europe. She is the only person to have led BBC One, Channel 5 and Channel 4. She started her career at BBC News working on Newsnight and Panorama before becoming editor of both the One O’clock and Six O’clock News. She was Controller of BBC Daytime and Director of Programmes at Channel 5, before returning to the BBC in 2008 to run BBC One. In 2011 she was made the first Chief Creative Officer of Channel 4. Over the next seven years, she led what was described as a “creative renaissance”. She has commissioned an array of global hits including Luther, Sherlock, Slow Horses, Black Mirror, Derry Girls and Gogglebox and in 2023 was named one of the 35 most powerful women in TV by the Hollywood Reporter. Jay was awarded an OBE in the King’s 2023 Birthday Honours for services to the arts.

Having been first appointed to the Board of Governors in 2020, Jay was appointed in January 2024 as Chair for a four-year term commencing on 16 February 2024.

Michael is a Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company. He co-leads the firm’s Strategy & Corporate Finance Practice globally and serves on the council of the McKinsey Global Institute. Michael is also a governor of the Royal College of Art, one of the world’s leading art and design universities. He has served as a trustee of the Marshall Scholarships and the World Schools Debating Championships, on the advisory council of King’s Business School, and as a director of BritishAmerican Business. Michael chairs the BFI’s Finance Committee.

Monica  is  an  experienced  board  advisor  with  over  25 years’  experience in  the  creative industries. She advises a number of organisations including the International Union of Cinemas (UNIC); British Association for Screen Entertainment (BASE); Digital Entertainment Group International (DEGI); and serves on the CMI President’s Advisory Council; the Bias in AI Research Group at Durham University; and the All Party Parliamentary Group for AI.

In 2018 Monica was appointed ambassador for Women on Boards and a ‘Super NED’. In 2019 she was one of the top 50 Women to Watch in the UK in the Female FTSE Board Report. She is also a long-term global coach for a multinational entertainment company; and a faculty member of the FT Board Director Programme.

Monica was previously CEO of MyMovies.Net Ltd, Vice Chair of Queen Mary University of London and Chair of Remuneration; Founder and Co-Chair of the Deloitte Higher Education Cyber Security Group; Chair of the British Independent Film Awards Advisory Board and the British Board of Film Classification Advisory Group; a member of the BAFTA Digital Communications Board and Non-Executive Director positions at British Video Association; Voddess Portal Ltd; and Obviously Creative Ltd. Early in her Monica career was Head of Operations for various film distributors and started out at Technicolor Distribution.

Anwen Griffiths is Head of Legal and Business Affairs at BBC Film. Anwen was previously a senior partner at a leading private practice firm for the media, technology and creative industries, advising on all legal and commercial aspects of production and finance across the screen sectors, including film, television and games.

With a background in film production, Anwen has also been heavily involved in supporting public funders in the growth of indigenous talent, having previously worked at the BFI and spent six years as a member (and subsequently vice-chair) of Ffilm Cymru Wales, the delegate for National Lottery funding in Wales, with specific focus on promoting a sustainable sector and culture.

Anwen is also a member of the British Screen Forum and serves on the BFI’s Audit, Risk and Governance Committee.

Elizabeth is an internationally renowned, award-winning producer. She co-founded the leading independent UK-based production company Number 9 Films in 2002 with partner Stephen Woolley, garnering 57 BAFTA nominations and wins and 23 Academy Award nominations and wins.

In February 2019, Elizabeth and Stephen jointly received the highly prestigious and coveted BAFTA Award for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema. She has produced some of the most celebrated independent films in the US and Europe including: Todd Haynes’s Carol (nominated for six Academy Awards, six Golden Globe Awards, and nine BAFTA Awards); Mark Herman’s Little Voice (winner of a Golden Globe Award, nominated for one Academy Award, six Golden Globe Awards, and six BAFTA Awards); Neil Jordan’s The Crying Game (winner of an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and nominated for six Academy Awards); Made in Dagenham (nominated for three BAFTA Awards); Phyllis Nagy’s Mrs. Harris (nominated for 12 Emmy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and a PGA Award); Wash Westmoreland’s Colette (nominated for four BIFAs and an Independent Spirit Award); and Paolo Sorrentino’s Youth (nominated for one Academy Award and winner of three European Film Awards).

Elizabeth and Stephen’s latest feature Living – a reworking of Kurosawa’s classic Ikiru – received numerous accolades including three BAFTA Award nominations and two Academy Award nominations. Their upcoming projects include Fleur Fortuné’s The Assessment, starring Alicia Vikander and Elizabeth Olsen, and award-winning theatre director Marianne Elliott’s feature debut The Salt Path, starring Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs.

Declan Keeney PhD, FRSA is a Professor (Chair) of Screen Technologies & Innovation at Ulster University and Director of the Ulster Screen Academy. He is an expert advisor on the screen industry’s future workforce needs and in emerging screen technologies trends such as real-time VFX workflows. Declan co-founded Studio Ulster, in Northern Ireland, a £75m large scale commercial virtual production and real-time visual effects studio in partnership with Belfast Harbour Studios, Northern Ireland Screen and Ulster University.

Declan is a Fellow of The Royal Society of Arts and a member of the British Council’s Arts & the Creative Economy Advisory Group. His current research portfolio in support of the screen industries represents £91.5m worth of live grant-based research and development investments. Declan is an AHRC/DCMS Policy Fellow in the Future Observatory at the Design Museum in London exploring net zero and carbon reduction using emerging technologies for film production. He leads the CoSTAR Network Lab in NI, a £17m investment in a world class research lab and part of the largest research network for Virtual Production in Europe. Declan is a Co-investigator at Future Screens Northern Ireland and a Co-investigator on a an EPSRC Network+ project entitled ‘Virtual Production in a Digital Economy’. He has over 25 years of film and television production experience, including 13 years as staff at the BBC.

Laura is a seasoned technology and media executive with 25+ years of leadership in development, marketing, commercial, and data/analytics in the operation and strategic guidance of interactive entertainment. As President of EA Entertainment & Technology, she leads EA’s portfolio of licensed and owed IP and oversees key development studios, alongside leading central technology and development services. Prior to this, Laura served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Studios Officer of EA.

Laura is passionate about increasing the number of opportunities for women and underrepresented talent, leading EA’s efforts to advance representation across the company and its games. Laura founded the EA Women’s Ultimate Team Employee Resource Group to promote gender diversity and equality inside and outside the organization and an inclusion framework as part of the game development process leading to EA SPORTS FIFA 16 being the first AAA sports title to integrate female players — four years before it became the industry standard.

Laura is amongst AdAge’s “Women to Watch” list, San Francisco Business Times “Most Influential Women in Business,” and Variety’s Entertainment Gaming Leaders, a member of Fast Company’s Impact Council and a member of The Game Awards Advisory Board.

Dr Romana Ramzan is a producer at the BAFTA-winning No Code Studio in Glasgow, Scotland. Over the past decade, Romana has demonstrated a commitment and desire to drive forward changes in the industry to make it a safer and more welcoming space for people from underrepresented groups through her advocacy work. She has been at the forefront of driving innovative initiatives, within the industry and academia, that have demonstrated success nationally and internationally.

Romana was one of the main founders and organisers of Scottish Game Jam; she was previously a Director of the Global Game Jam and has also served on the BAFTA Scotland Committee for Games. She was one of Develop Magazine’s “30 Under 30”, and in March 2014 Romana was awarded the Asian Woman of the Future Award at the Scottish Asian Women’s Awards. Most recently, Romana was named as one of the Top 100 Women in Games in the UK by MCV.

Robin Saunders is Managing Partner of Clearbrook Capital Partners, a private investment and advisory group working with growth companies across a variety of sectors, including entertainment, business services, real estate, Fintech and asset management.

Prior to founding Clearbrook, Robin was a corporate banker leading global teams specialising in securitisation and principal finance within banks including Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, and WestLB. She has served on numerous boards in retail, entertainment, financial services, healthcare, consumer products and utilities sectors. She has also served on the board of the UK government’s industry regulator Office of Rail and Road.  

Robin is a Visiting Fellow of the Said Business School at the University of Oxford, a Commissioner of the US-UK Fulbright Commission and an enthusiastic supporter of arts and education organisations. Robin also serves on the BFI’s Finance Committee.

Andrew M. Smith OBE DL joined the Pinewood Studios Group in June 2008 as Corporate Affairs Director. Synonymous with world class British and international productions, the Pinewood Studios Group is home to some of the most successful feature films and TV shows of all time, including James Bond and Star Wars.

Andrew is chair of the Buckinghamshire Local Enterprise Partnership; a member of BAFTA, the British Film Commission Advisory Board, the British Screen Forum, the Department of International Trade Creative Industries Trade Advisory Group and a governor of the British Film Institute. In June 2021 Andrew was made a Deputy Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire and in January 2022 was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s 2022 New Year’s Honours for services to ‘Business and the British Film Industry’. Andrew also serves on the BFI’s Audit, Risk and Governance Committee.

Phil Stokes is an experienced finance professional with a deep background in the entertainment, media, cultural, sports and charities sectors.

Phil was an audit partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers for more than twenty years and has an extensive background in working with film, television and cinema groups, book, magazine and newspaper publishers, sports organisations, and large charities. He also advised companies and charities on financial controls, risk management, corporate governance and financial reporting.

He led PwC’s Entertainment, Media and Creative Industries group in the UK for 12 years to 2017, its EMEA Telecoms, Media and Technology practice from 2011 to 2015, and the firm’s UK audit practice for Charities, Health, Education and the Public Sector for four years to the end of 2023.

He founded and led PwC’s global Digital Transformation group, responding to the impact of new technologies and changing consumer behaviours across all industries.

Phil is a partner in The Clive Barker Archive and has co-authored several books with and about the author, artist and filmmaker Clive Barker. He is a school governor and has been a trustee of Groundwork London and a commissioner on the Durham Commission. Phil chairs the BFI’s Audit, Risk and Governance Committee as well as the Finance, Risk and Audit Committee at Middlesex County Cricket Club and the Performance and Audit Committee at Arts Council England.

Scott Stuber served as Chairman of Netflix Film from 2017 to 2024. Credited with transforming Netflix’s expansive film slate, he oversaw the acquisition, development, or production of Netflix’s biggest and most beloved movies, including Red Notice (Netflix’s most popular movie of all time), Bird Box, Hustle, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, Academy Award and BAFTA-winner All Quiet on the Western Front, Academy Award-winner Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, The Adam Project, The Gray Man, Academy Award and BAFTA-winner The Power of the Dog, Don’t Look Up, Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman, Sam Esmail’s Leave the World Behind, Academy Award-winner Marriage Story, and Academy Award-winner ROMA.

His deep ties to the creative community and decades of experience in producing commercially successful and acclaimed motion pictures enabled Netflix to connect with some of the industry’s best talent and filmmakers, including Alfonso Cuarón, Spike Lee, Greta Gerwig, Noah Baumbach, Guillermo del Toro, Martin Scorsese, Shawn Levy, and Jane Campion.

Under Stuber’s leadership, Netflix was the most nominated studio at the Academy Awards for three consecutive years (2020, 2021, 2022). Stuber is currently producing Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein for Netflix and Scott Cooper’s Bruce Springsteen film, Deliver Me From Nowhere, for 20th Century Studios and Disney.

Prior to Netflix, Stuber founded and ran Bluegrass Films, which produced such hits as Ted, Central Intelligence, and Safe House, among many others. A former vice chairman of worldwide production at Universal Studios, he was responsible for many of its critically acclaimed, award-winning, and commercially successful films, including A Beautiful Mind, Seabiscuit, Cinderella Man, Jarhead, 8 Mile, Meet the Parents and its follow-up films, plus both the Bourne and Fast and the Furious franchises. More than 20 of the films he supervised grossed over $100 million at the U.S. box office.

Stuber and Amazon MGM Studios recently announced a wide-ranging, multi-year partnership to relaunch the historic United Artists and to finance and release movies from his new production company. Stuber and his soon-to-be launched company will produce several films per year under the storied United Artists (UA) label, both for theatrical and Prime Video releases.

Eleanor (Nell) Whitley has a reputation for driving forward ambitious work in a variety of forms – live events, art installations & digital media – her collaborations with Marshmallow Laser Feast (where she is Executive Producer) demonstrate a unique vision for the future of creative experiences. She has produced the critically acclaimed In the Eyes of the Animal (Sundance New Frontier 2016, Wired Award for Innovation in Experience Design) and other mixed reality works, including; A Colossal Wave (SXSW 2018), Treehugger (Tribeca Film Festival Storyscapes Award 2017 & Best VR Film at Arles Festival) and We Live in an Ocean of Air which premiered at the Saatchi Gallery, London (2018-9).

Edgar Wright first gained worldwide recognition for his Three Flavours Cornetto film trilogy consisting of Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World’s End, each made with actors Simon Pegg and Nick Frost as well as producer Nira Park, all frequent collaborators. He worked with the same team while directing the late-1990s/early-2000s television series Spaced. Wright also co- wrote, produced and directed the 2010 film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Along with Joe Cornish and Steven Moffat, he co-wrote Steven Spielberg’s The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn in 2011.

He wrote and directed the 2017 action crime film Baby Driver, which went on to become a global box office hit, and in 2021 directed and co-wrote, with Krysty Wilson-Cairns, Last Night in Soho which starred Thomasin McKenzie, Anya Taylor-Joy, Matt Smith, and Dame Diana Rigg in her final film role. 2021 also saw the release of Wright’s first documentary film, The Sparks Brothers, covering the entire 50-year legacy of Ron and Russell Mael of California pop band Sparks, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival that year.