BBC Creative Diversity Head Joanna Abeyie to Exit (EXCLUSIVE)
The BBC’s head of creative diversity, Joanna Abeyie, is stepping down after less than a year and a half in the role, Variety can reveal.
Abeyie is leaving the broadcaster to return to her consultancy business, Blue Moon, which specializes in diversity and inclusion, and executive recruitment. Variety understands that she may consult for the BBC in the future.
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Sources indicate that Abeyie’s departure was first announced by BBC director of content Charlotte Moore on June 22. Her last day in the role is Monday (July 3). When her exit was revealed to her team by the BBC’s group director of diversity and inclusion Chinny Okolidoh, it’s believed a number of staff protested why Abeyie, a well-liked exec with a strong rapport with the group, had been allowed to leave the public broadcaster. However, Variety understands that her departure reflects the exec’s choice to return to her business, which she set up in 2018.
Abeyie was appointed as interim head of creative diversity in April 2022 and was made permanent in October. She reported to and overlapped with June Sarpong, who was also head of creative diversity for two and a half years, and oversaw the BBC’s first Creative Diversity Plan in 2020. (Following Sarpong’s exit last year, the BBC restructured the position into a newly expanded ‘director of diversity and inclusion’ role, now occupied by Okolidoh, that effectively combines the creative diversity and workforce remits.)
Abeyie later reported into Okolidoh — who joined the BBC in November — and also worked closely with Moore and director of nations Rhodri Talfan-Davies.
“This is a strategically important role and Joanna will be an expert partner who will drive best practice and help fulfil the BBC’s Creative Diversity Strategy,” said group chief operating officer Leigh Tavaziva and Moore in October, welcoming Abeyie permanently to the role. “She will support commissioners with editorial decisions as well as leaders across the organisation to improve diversity and inclusion on and off screen/air.”
In a letter to staff (read the full note below), Okolidoh said she will soon appoint an interim head of creative diversity, and the role will be advertised in due course.
Abeyie’s departure will be a shock to the industry given her short tenure at the broadcaster. The turnover also means that her replacement will be the third creative diversity leader at the BBC in two years.
The BBC currently has two published diversity plans in place: the Creative Diversity Plan, which was published in 2020, and the BBC Workforce Diversity & Inclusion Strategy, which runs from 2021 to 2023.
Abeyie was working on the next edition of the Creative Diversity Plan, which pertains to on-air representation and production. It’s believed she was conceiving of new measurements for creative diversity. In July 2022, a long-awaited update from the BBC on the progress of the 2020 Creative Diversity fund to improve diverse content on the public broadcaster received criticism from sceptics who questioned its criteria and how much of its £44 million ($58 million) spend in the first year of the initiative had gone towards new commissions.
Meanwhile, the BBC’s next iteration of the Diversity & Inclusion Strategy, which is separate to the Creative Diversity Report, could be released later this year or early next year, Variety understands.
Abeyie’s exit comes amid a raft of senior diversity and inclusion leaders — all of whom so far appear to be Black women — leaving top jobs in the media, particularly in the U.S.
As reported by Variety last week, Jeanell English, executive VP of impact and inclusion, is exiting her role at the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences after less than a year. Meanwhile, over at Warner Bros. Discovery, Karen Horne, a diversity, equity and inclusion executive, has been laid off as part of a reorganization of the division.
Disney’s chief diversity officer and senior VP Latondra Newton is also exiting her role after six years, while at Netflix, Vernā Myers is stepping down from her role as head of inclusion strategy after five years.
Variety last year reported on an exodus of women of color leaving the BBC’s news and diversity and inclusion departments as part of an investigation.
Read Chinny Okolidoh’s full letter to staff below, followed by Charlotte Moore’s separate note to staff:
Dear all
I wanted to let you know that Joanna Abeyie, Head of Creative Diversity, has decided to leave the BBC to return to her consultancy business.
Joanna joined the BBC in April 2022, initially as Interim Head of Creative Diversity. In that time she has worked with our Chief Content Officer, Charlotte Moore, our Content teams and the Creative Diversity Team, to embed inclusive habits into commissioning processes and build on the BBC’s relationships with our external partners, indies and suppliers to ensure authentic and increased representation of our audiences on- and off-air and screen.
Together with her team, she has built on the BBC’s approach to and understanding of creative diversity across the Content division, by creating a Creative Diversity Plan, that puts a focus on ‘nothing about us without us’, by collaborating with relevant external partners and stakeholders, and putting transparency, accountability and audience insights front and centre of our diversity and inclusion priorities.
With this change, I have considered how best to support the Content division and have decided we will appoint an interim Head of Creative Diversity to ensure we continue to make progress on our diversity and inclusion efforts while we recruit a permanent successor. The role will be advertised shortly but if you are interested in the role and would like to learn more, please feel free to get in touch with me.
Joanna will be with us until early July. Before she leaves us, please join me in thanking Joanna for her contributions and wishing her all the very best for the future.
Best wishes,
Chinny
***
From: Charlotte Moore
Hi All
I just wanted to pass on the news below that Joanna Abeyie has decided to return to her consultancy work and will leave the BBC in early July.
Jo has been simply brilliant to work with and along with her team, she has made a real difference to our understanding of what creative diversity means and how we should address it. She is going to be missed by us all but I very much hope we’ll get to work with her in the future in her consultancy role.
She’s achieved such a huge amount within the Content division in the last year – drafting our Creative Diversity plan with input from many of you which will be an important part of her legacy; helping us deliver this year’s diversity fund commitments; supporting and championing Creative Diversity both inside and outside the BBC; working with suppliers and commissioners across TV, Radio & Music, Children’s & Education and Sport to deliver training and provide editorial support and advice; not to mention representing the BBC on numerous industry panels and advising on complex diversity issues.
I’d like to say a personal thank you to Jo for all her support and all that she has taught me – I know this will be echoed by many and you will all want to join me in wishing her really good luck with her next venture.
Best wishes,
Charlotte
Charlotte Moore
Chief Content Officer
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