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BAFTA Appoints Anne Morrison as Chair

9 July 2014
BAFTA ExecutivesBAFTA/Rich Hardcastle

Director of BBC Academy Succeeds John Willis, Who Continues as Deputy Chair. Appointment Follows Publication of BAFTA's Review of The Year

London, 9 July 2014: The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) announced Anne Morrison as its new Chair at last night’s AGM, succeeding John Willis. Anne has been Deputy Chair for the last year and her tenure as Chair will run for the next two years. John will be Deputy Chair for one year.

Anne Morrison said: “I am delighted and deeply honoured to become Chair of BAFTA. Over the next two years I want to build on everything BAFTA has already achieved, from the prestigious Awards to the amazing year-round learning programme that supports, nurtures and develops new talent. I look forward to sharing my passion for offering opportunities to talented young people, regardless of their background, and inspiring them to progress further in their careers. BAFTA has something for everyone, from young game designers to world-leading practitioners.”

Anne, who is the second woman to become Chair in the history of BAFTA, has been closely involved with the organisation for six years as a member of the Television Committee, Chair of the Learning & Events Committee and member of the Board of Trustees. Hilary Bevan Jones was BAFTA’s first female Chair in 2006.

Alongside its awards, recognising excellence in film, television and games, BAFTA offers a great number of initiatives which help ensure talented people get the recognition and support to achieve their potential, regardless of their background. BAFTA Guru, the free online learning site, is one way people can hear directly from the experts and learn more about a particular craft or career, or just to get inspiration. People can attend any one of hundreds of BAFTA events across the UK and USA, apply for a BAFTA scholarship or be part of a mentoring scheme or talent development initiative. BAFTA’s headquarters at 195 Piccadilly is also available for private hire, offering some of the best facilities and overall experiences in the country.

BAFTA’s recently published Review of the Year looks back at the charity’s activities and achievements of the past 12 months. The Review, supported with a short video, covers everything from its annual awards ceremonies to its learning events programme and new talent initiatives. Visit bit.ly/BAFTAReviewoftheYear1314 to find out more.

Educated in Belfast and Churchill College, Cambridge, Anne’s background is principally in television production starting as a producer/director and rising to become Controller, Documentaries and Contemporary Factual at the BBC responsible for 1,000 staff and over £100m in programme budgets. Under her leadership, the production department made programmes as diverse as and and relaunched She was then appointed Programme Director of the Network Supply Review, planning and overseeing the dramatic growth of BBC network television from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

In 2009, Anne was appointed Director of the BBC Academy, overseeing the largest broadcast training organisation in the UK and delivering over 57,000 days of training each year to BBC staff and the wider broadcasting industry. She has driven the creation and delivery of all BBC training in journalism, production, leadership and technology. Anne recently announced her departure from the BBC later this year.

Further Information

For further information, please contact:

Nick Williams
Press & Communications Officer
BAFTA
T: 020 7292 5847
E: [email protected]

Notes to Editors

BAFTA’s Review of the Year 2013/14 – In Numbers

26 = The number of BAFTA publications uploaded to the online publishing site, Issuu. The most popular addition to the library of our Awards and event brochures to date was the Television Awards brochure.
16,500 = The number of views our official trailer to the Film Awards received on our YouTube channel. It was also the most popular Facebook post of the past 12 months too, with 4,208 'likes', with a reach of more than 1.6 million.
368 = The number of members of the public who attended the Games Awards ceremony. This was the first time that tickets to the Awards had been made available to the public.

74,078 = The number of video views on our BAFTA Guru YouTube channel for a playlist called How I Write, featuring interviews with the five screenwriters who took part in our 4th annual Screenwriters' Lecture series: David S Goyer, Hossein Amini, Susannah Grant, Tony Gilroy and Richard Curtis.
220 = The number of 2013 participants in BAFTA Crew, our professional networking and development programme aimed at supporting emerging talent outside of London. After successfully trialling this in England last year, BAFTA Crew expanded to include Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland for 2014.
15 = The combined number of BAFTAs won by the six distinguished guests who took part in this year's BAFTA Los Angeles Behind Closed Doors events (Geoffrey Rush, Alfonso Cuarón, Aaron Sorkin, John Goodman, John Hurt and Armando Iannucci).

About BAFTA

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is an independent charity that supports, develops and promotes the art forms of the moving image by identifying and rewarding excellence, inspiring practitioners and benefiting the public. In addition to its Awards ceremonies, BAFTA has a year-round Learning & Events programme that offers unique access to some of the world’s most inspiring talent through workshops, masterclasses, lectures, scholarships and mentoring schemes, connecting with audiences of all ages and backgrounds across the UK, Los Angeles and New York. BAFTA relies on income from membership subscriptions, individual donations, trusts, foundations and corporate partnerships to support its ongoing outreach work. For further information, visit www.bafta.org and www.bafta.org/guru.