British Film Institute Names Deputy CEO

Tom Grater
·2 min read

The British Film Institute (BFI) has upped Harriet Finney to the role of Deputy CEO and Executive Director of the newly formed Corporate and Industry Affairs team.

That team will include Neil Peplow, taking on an expanded role as Director of Industry and International Affairs, and Rishi Coupland, who is joining in July as Head of Research and Insight. Finney will also have oversight of the BFI Film Fund, which will be led by Mia Bays who is joining the BFI in the fall as Film Fund Director, and the Young Audiences Content Fund led by Jackie Edwards.

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Finney will report to Ben Roberts, who made the step up from Deputy to CEO in 2020 after the departure of Amanda Nevill. The org said her role will be focused on strategic leadership of the BFI’s work with stakeholders from the cultural sector, industry and government to advance the UK’s position as a global leader in screen. Finney first joined the BFI in 2017 as Director of External Affairs, helping to steer the org through several challenges including Brexit and Covid.

BFI Deputy CEO Harriet Finney said, “I’m over the moon to have been given the opportunity to broaden my remit at the BFI. Bringing our National Lottery funding alongside our policy, strategy and research work makes perfect sense. These are powerful levers for change and bring to life our commitment to make the UK’s screen industries and our film culture genuinely accessible and available to all. I’m just so lucky to have such a brilliant team and am looking forward to working with Ben, our stakeholders and Government to make sure the BFI and the UK’s screen industries remain at the top of their game – both culturally and economically.”

BFI Chief Executive Ben Roberts added, “Harriet and her teams have been nothing short of incredible over the past year – coordinating a strong and well-evidenced plan across industry and government to lead us out of lockdown. I love working with Harriet and I’m really thrilled that we’ll be working so closely to build a bright future for the BFI, for the sector and our screen culture.”

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