The BFI has made some key changes to its Executive Director Board with the appointment of Rishi Coupland to executive director of new directorate industry development and innovation and deputy CEO Harriet Finney taking on an expanded remit, now overseeing fundraising and enterprise within a new directorate, corporate affairs and partnerships.
Both will report to BFI chief executive Ben Roberts.
“The changes reinforce the BFI’s role as a national and international leader for screen culture, across research, policy and partnership to support a creative, sustainable and globally ambitious UK screen sector,” the organisation said.
Coupland’s new role and directorate will “deepen the BFI’s leadership in research and innovation to help the screen sector grow with confidence, harnessing new technology, from the creative potential of AI to the challenges of sustainability, to support a resilient and forward-looking screen industry”.
Starting on 1 December, he will oversee teams working across skills and workforce development, audience development, research and innovation, certification and video games, evaluation and sustainability.
It is said this will help to deliver the ambitions of Screen Culture 2033, the BFI’s 10-year strategy to build a thriving, inclusive and innovative screen culture for the whole of the UK.
These areas include several National Lottery-funded programmes that underpin the BFI’s work on skills, research and audience development nationwide.
As well as continuing to lead the BFI’s engagement with government, domestic and international screen-sector stakeholders and independent filmmaking communities through the National Lottery Filmmaking Funds and the expanded Global Screen Fund, deputy CEO Harriet Finney’s new role also strengthens the BFI’s international philanthropic activities, including the recently launched BFI America.
Finney’s broader portfolio aims to boost the organisation’s relationships across government, industry and philanthropy, and as a charity it will build a more connected network of partners, donors and supporters in the UK and internationally.
Roberts said: “Our industry is moving fast, driven by new technologies and global opportunity. The BFI has an important role in understanding that change and helping the sector develop the skills and confidence to seize the opportunities it brings.
“Rishi’s appointment marks a major step in how we support the UK’s screen sector, connecting research, skills, audiences, innovation and sustainability to build a more resilient and forward-looking industry. He has a deep understanding of how data and evidence can drive cultural progress.
“Harriet’s expanded role will strengthen the BFI’s relationships across the sector and beyond. She is one of the most respected figures in the screen industries, a trusted voice with the experience and authority to champion the UK’s creative ambition, and the industrial and charitable work of the BFI, at home and internationally.”
