BAFTA Appoints Hilary Rosen as Chair; South Asian ‘Desi’ Leaders Shrina Shah and Charu Desodt Take Key Roles: The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has announced a series of leadership changes Hilary Rosen has also been appointed as the new Chair of BAFTA, succeeding Sara Putt after her three-year term, with South Asian representation featuring among the appointments of Charu Desodt and Shrina Shah to key positions within the organisation.
The appointments bring changes across BAFTA’s governance, television and games committees, strengthening its leadership structure across the international entertainment industry.
South Asian Professionals Take BAFTA Leadership Roles
Charu Desodt will take over from Tara Saunders as Chair of BAFTA’s Games Committee. With more than 25 years of experience in the video games industry, Desodt has worked with major industry names, including Sony and Xbox.
She received a BAFTA Breakthrough award in 2014 and subsequently served on BAFTA Games Awards juries. Her appointment places her in a leadership position within the organisation’s work recognising achievements and supporting talent across the global gaming industry.
Desodt’s professional and educational background includes connections to West London. Her earlier public biography identifies Hammersmith as the area where she grew up and Acton as her residence at the time of that profile. Her current residence and specific family origins have not been independently confirmed.
Shrina Shah, Chair of BAFTA’s Governance and Appointments Committee, will join the BAFTA Board of Trustees. Her appointment brings her governance experience into the organisation’s wider leadership structure.
Shah’s appointment is another development in South Asian representation within the British screen industry’s institutional leadership. However, publicly available information does not independently establish her birthplace, family background or current residence.
Hilary Rosen Appointed BAFTA Chair
Hilary Rosen, who previously served as BAFTA’s Deputy Chair, will take over as Chair for a three-year term. She is currently Director of Commissioning at UKTV and has been involved with BAFTA’s Television Committee since 2021.
Other leadership appointments include Ade Rawcliffe and Andrew Miller MBE as Deputy Chairs of the Academy for a two-year term. Caroline Levy will succeed Rosen as Chair of the Television Committee, while Nahrein Kemp will lead the Learning, Inclusion and Talent Committee.
The changes reflect BAFTA’s continuing work across film, television and video games, bringing together professionals from different areas of the creative industries.
BAFTA is a charitable organisation that recognises achievements in screen arts and supports emerging and established professionals through awards, scholarships, mentoring, training and talent development initiatives.
The appointments of Charu Desodt and Shrina Shah highlight the participation of South Asian professionals in the leadership structures of one of Britain’s major film, television and gaming organisations. Their new responsibilities place them within committees and governance structures that contribute to BAFTA’s work across the global creative industries.
