Tim Richards

Source: Courtesy of BFI

Tim Richards

The UK’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has opened applications for the next chair of the British Film Institute (BFI)  with the three-year tenure of Tim Richards, CEO of Vue International, to end in 2024. 

According to the DCMS, the time commitment required is two days per month for the unpaid role, with the length of a single term being four years. Richards served for three having already been governor for seven years, and 10 years is the recommended limit to serve on the BFI board.

The total time served in post, it specifies, will not exceed more than two terms in most cases, or 10 years in one role.

The deadline for applications is September 11, with interviews expected to end on November 15.

An advisory assessment panel for the prospective chair is comprised of Robert Specterman-Green, director, media and creative industries at DCMS; chair of government-backed festival Unboxed: Creativity In The UK Vikki Heywood as the senior independent panel member; and a yet to be confirmed panel member. 

The BFI is a cultural charity, distributor of National Lottery funds and the UK government’s lead body for film and the moving image. According to the DCMS role specification: “This role is an extraordinary opportunity for an individual with a track record of board leadership and who is passionate about film and the moving image; the role of the BFI and its future success; and the value and opportunities for the UK screen sectors.

“The BFI’s new 10-year strategy, Screen Culture 2033, sets out a direction for the organisation up to its centenary in 2033.The selected board chair will be expected to work alongside the CEO in delivering the vision set out in the Screen Culture 2033, to support the next chapter of British film and the continued success of the screen sectors.

“To do so, the selected board chair must have achieved leadership stature in the creative industries business, a major charitable or cultural institution, or government.”

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