Amanda was appointed Director of Development and Events of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) in October 1998 and in December 2000 became its Chief Executive. Amanda was awarded an OBE for services to the film industry in 2009 and has received recognition in The Times’ British Film Power 100, the Women in Film and Television Power List and Women: Inspiration & Enterprise’s Power 50.
Amanda has been instrumental in the major changes BAFTA has undergone in recent years. She has successfully positioned the organisation as the pre-eminent charitable body that educates, promotes and rewards excellence in the art forms of the moving image, and defined the modern, forward-looking charity as one of the most influential institutions in the arts today.
Amanda is publicly credited with positioning BAFTA’s annual Film Awards ceremony as one of the most important of its kind in the world. With branches in Los Angeles, New York, Scotland and Wales and recent activity extending into Asia, BAFTA’s charitable message is now communicated to a global audience.
Under her leadership, BAFTA’s other major awards ceremonies – Television, Games, Children’s and Television Craft – and its year-round learning and events programme have continued to grow in stature. BAFTA delivers over 250 events a year with many being filmed and made freely available via the BAFTA Guru website, cementing the organisation’s reputation as the touchstone for inspiration and information.
Prior to joining BAFTA, Amanda worked as a theatrical agent and in television production. She was a company director at Duncan Heath Associates (part of the ICM group) between 1982 and 1988. Her television career began in 1989 when she worked at LWT. From 1990, Amanda worked extensively as a producer and development executive for Scottish Television Enterprises, both in Glasgow and in London, where her credits included three BAFTA ceremonies.
