BAFTA chief executive Amanda Berry will leave the organization earlier than scheduled, in June rather than the fall, to join The Royal Foundation as CEO.
The Royal Foundation is the primary philanthropic and charitable vehicle for The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge aka Prince William and Kate Middleton.
In December 2021, Berry and Kevin Price, BAFTA’s chief operating officer, had announced their decision to step down from the organization after 23 and 20 years in their roles respectively.
Price will serve as interim CEO from June until the new CEO is in place.
In a message to members on Thursday, BAFTA chair Krishnendu Majumdar wrote: “Throughout her 23-year tenure as BAFTA’s CEO, Amanda’s dedication, creativity and skilled leadership have enabled BAFTA to evolve and grow into a world-leading arts organization whilst ensuring its charitable purpose has remained at its heart. As such I cannot imagine a more fitting organization to benefit from her influence and commitment than The Royal Foundation and I wish her every success in leading the organisation and its philanthropic work.”
“Amanda will leave a very different BAFTA to the one she joined, and an incredible legacy. Her passion for supporting new talent is evident in BAFTA’s greatly expanded, year-round global learning and talent development programs, while her stewardship of the flagship BAFTA awards has seen the organization grow and evolve into an internationally recognized and respected brand,” Majumdar added.
The recently revealed BAFTA TV craft awards nominations have faced criticism because of the lack of female directors amongst the factual category nominees.