Jay Hunt has been appointed chair of the British Film Institute.
A hugely well-respected name in British TV, Hunt is currently the creative director for Apple TV+ in Europe, and has been a governor of the British Film Institute since 2020.
Prior to joining Apple, she was chief creative officer at Channel 4 and, thanks to previous positions at the BBC and Channel 5, is the only person to have run three terrestrial broadcasters in the U.K.
Hunt’s commissions comprise some of the U.K.’s biggest and globally renowned TV shows over the last decade, including Apple TV+ hits “Slow Horses” and “Bad Sisters,” plus “Luther,” “Sherlock,” “Black Mirror,” “Derry Girls,” “Catastrophe” and “Gogglebox.”
“The BFI plays such a vital role in supporting great British storytellers and I’m delighted I’ll be chairing the organisation at such an exciting and challenging time,” Hunt said in a statement. “I’m passionate about the quality and range of film and TV we produce in the U.K. and look forward to championing it on the world stage.”
Hunt takes over as BFI Chair from Tim Richards, CEO of cinema chain Vue, following the end of his three-year term that began in February 2021.
“As a BFI Governor, Jay has been a passionate advocate for both the BFI and the UK film sector,” added BFI chief executive Ben Roberts. “With her incredible breadth of experience in leadership across broadcasting and global streaming, she steps into this role with a very rare combination of an innate understanding of the power and potential of what public service organizations can deliver as well as being acutely commercial.”
