The award-winning TV producer becomes the first person of color to be appointed to the role in BAFTA’s 73 year history and its youngest chair in 35 years.
The British Academy has named Krishnendu Majumdar as its new chair, with the award-winning TV producer becoming the first person of color to be appointed to the role in BAFTA’s 73-year history and its youngest chair in 35 years.
Majumdar, who has been deputy chair for one year and is due to remain as chair for the next three years, the newly extended term for all future BAFTA chairs. He succeeds Pippa Harris, who will now continue as deputy chair.
An Emmy-winning and BAFTA-nominated TV producer and director, Majumdar has been closely involved with BAFTA for 14 years, having been the chair of the Learning and New Talent Committee (2006-2010), the chair of the Television Committee (2015-2019) and a member of the board of trustees for nine years.
He has actively supported BAFTA’s year-round program of learning and new talent initiatives, including BAFTA Breakthrough and BAFTA Elevate. Majumdar is also chairing BAFTA’s Awards Review, convened in response to the lack of diversity in this year’s Film Awards nominations. He has been a long-time supporter of greater diversity on and off screen throughout his career and has also been on the board of directors U.K. and the PACT Council.
"It is a tremendous honor to be elected chair of BAFTA and I’m lucky to be following Pippa Harris’ outstanding tenure and I want to pay tribute to the resilient and dynamic leadership that Pippa has shown," said Majumdar. "This year has been a difficult and turbulent time for many in our industry, working with Pippa, BAFTA’s talented and committed staff and membership, I want BAFTA to be at the heart of rebuilding the industry post-COVID."
He added: "It is vital to ensure that we support people of all backgrounds, races and genders. Diversity and inclusion are crucial for the lifeblood of BAFTA, and we will continue to be a leader for real change across our industry."
Majumdar co-founded the independent production company Me + You Productions in 2012, alongside Richard Yee. Since then, he has produced the critically acclaimed Dominic Savage drama series I Am for Channel 4 and the International Emmy-winning comedy Hoff The Record. He has executive produced two seasons of the comedy drama Sick Of It, as well as the documentary series The Moaning of Life. Majumdar was also a showrunner on the BAFTA-nominated global hit franchise An Idiot Abroad.
Majumdar entered the industry by being the first and only person ever to be trained on both the prestigious ITN News Trainee and BBC Production Trainee schemes working across both ITN and the BBC at the outset of his career.
