Presidents & Chairs

The full list of BAFTA Presidents, from HRH Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh in 1959 to the present day.

HRH The Prince of Wales

*His Royal Highness was appointed to BAFTA’s presidency in February 2010. It follows a long tradition of Royal involvement with BAFTA; all but one of BAFTA’s presidents in its history have been members of the Royal Family.

• Barbara Broccoli CBE – Vice-President for Film
• Dame Pippa Harris DBE – Vice-President for Television
• David Gardner OBE – Vice-President for Games

HRH Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh, was the organisation’s first president in 1959, a year after The British Film Academy (founded 1947) and the Guild of Television Producers and Directors merged to create the Society of Film and Television Arts (SFTA, a forerunner of BAFTA).

The Earl Mountbatten of Burma, The Duke of Edinburgh’s uncle, took over the presidency from 1966, until HRH Princess Anne, The Princess Royal, was named president from 1973, and remained in the post until 2000.

The Prince of Wales succeeded Lord Attenborough – the only non-Royal president of BAFTA to date – in 2010, to become the fifth in its history.

• 1959-1965 HRH Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh
• 1966-1972 The Earl Mountbatten of Burma
• 1972-2000 HRH Princess Anne (1987 – HRH The Princess Royal)
• 2002-2010 Lord Attenborough
• 2010-present HRH Prince William (2011 – The Duke of Cambridge; 2022 – The Prince of Wales)

• 1973-1995 Sir Richard Attenborough (1993 – Lord Attenborough)
• 1995-2004 Lord Puttnam
• 2004-2010 Michael Grade
• 2009-2015 Duncan Kenworthy OBE (Film)
• 2010-2015 Sophie Turner Laing (Television)
• 2016-present Barbara Broccoli CBE (Film)
• 2016-2021 Greg Dyke (Television)
• 2017-present David Gardner OBE (Games)
• 2021-present Dame Pippa Harris DBE (Television)

The full list of BAFTA Chairs, from David Lean in 1947 to the present day.

Sara Putt

• 2020 – 2023, July – June, Krishnendu Majumdar
• 2018 – 2020, July – June, Dame Pippa Harris DBE
• 2016 – 2018, July – June, Jane Lush
• 2014 – 2016 , July – June, Anne Morrison
• 2012 – 2014, July – June, John Willis
• 2010 – 2012 , July – June, Tim Corrie
• 2008 – 2010, July – June, David Parfitt
• 2006 – 2008, July – June, Hilary Bevan Jones
• 2004 – 2006, July – June, Duncan Kenworthy OBE
• 2002 – 2004 , July – June, Michael Attwell
• 2000 – 2002, July – June, Simon Relph CBE
• 1997 – 2000, July – June, Tim Angel CBE
• 1995 – 1997, July – June, Edward Mirzoeff CVO CBE
• 1993 – 1995, July – June, Ted Childs OBE
• 1991 – 1993, July – June, Richard Price MBE
• 1989 – 1991, July – June, Kevin Billington
• 1987 – 1989,  June – May, Johnny Goodman
• 1985 – 1987,  May – May, Graham Benson
• 1983 – 1985,  May – April, James Cellan Jones
• 1981 – 1983, April – April, Timothy Burrill
• 1979 – 1981, April – March, Mike Wooller
• 1976 – 1979, April – March, Richard Cawston CVO
• 1973 – 1976, March – March, Sir Sydney Samuelson CBE
• 1971 – 1973, April – February, Aubrey Singer
• 1969 – 1971,  January – March, Richard Attenborough CBE
• 1968, January – December, Peter Morley OBE
• 1967, January – December, Edgar Anstey
• 1966, January – December, Christopher Morahan CBE
• 1965, January – December, Lord Birkett
• 1964, January – December, James Bredin
• 1962 – 1963, January – December, Anthony Havelock-Allan
• 1961 – 1962, January – December, Peter De Sarigny
• 1960, January – December , Bill Ward
• 1959 – 1960, January – December, Sir Michael Balcon
• 1958 – 1959,  May – December, James Lawrie
• 1957 – 1958,  May – April, Ian Dalrymple
• 1956 – 1957,  April – April, Edgar Anstey
• 1955 – 1956,  May – March, John Bryan
• 1954 – 1955, April – March, Anthony Havelock-Allan
• 1953 – 1954, May – March, Carol Reed
• 1952 – 1953, April – March, Thorold Dickinson
• 1951 – 1952, May – March, Paul Rotha
• 1950 – 1951, May – April, Ronald Neame
• 1948-1950, November – April, Sir Michael Balcon
• 1947 – 1948, November – October, David Lean.