Geena Davis

Founder and Chair

Academy Award winner Geena Davis is one of Hollywood’s most respected actors, appearing in several roles that became cultural landmarks. Earning the 2006 Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama, Davis broke ground in her portrayal of the first female President of the United States in ABC’s hit show Commander in Chief.

In 1989, Davis received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as the offbeat dog trainer Muriel Pritchett in Lawrence Kasdan’s The Accidental Tourist.  She was again nominated for an Academy Award and Golden Globe for her performance in Ridley Scott’s Thelma & Louise, in which she co-starred with Susan Sarandon.  Davis went on to receive a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress for her portrayal of baseball phenomenon Dottie Hinson in A League of Their Own.

Shami Chakrabarti, Moderator

Director, Liberty

Shami Chakrabarti has been Director of Liberty (The National Council for Civil Liberties) since September 2003. Shami first joined Liberty as In-House Counsel on 10 September 2001. She became heavily involved in its engagement with the ‘War on Terror’ and with the defence and promotion ofhuman rights values in Parliament, the Courts and wider society.

A Barrister by background, she was called to the Bar in 1994 and worked as a lawyer in the Home Office from 1996 until 2001 for Governments of both persuasions. Since becoming Liberty’s Director she has written, spoken and broadcast widely on the importance of the post-WW2 human rights framework as an essential component of democratic society. She was born in London and studied Law at the London School of Economics. She is Chancellor of Essex University and a Master of the Bench of Middle Temple.

In 2011, Shami was invited to be one of six independent assessors advising Lord Justice Leveson in his Public Inquiry into the Culture, Practice and Ethics of the UK Press. She was also chosen as one of eight Olympic Flag carriers at the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony. In February 2014, she was appointed as Honorary Professor of Law at the University of Manchester. Shami’s first book, On Liberty, was published by Allen Lane on October 2014.

Madeline Di Nonno

CEO, Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media

Madeline Di Nonno is the Chief Executive Officer of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, the only research based non-profit working with the entertainment and media community to improve unconscious gender bias in media and entertainment through evidence-based research, education and advocacy. Madeline leads the Institute’s strategic direction, financial and operational activities. Madeline brings over thirty years of executive leadership experience in the entertainment, non-profit, digital media and consumer packaged goods industries.

Previously, Madeline served as President and CEO of On The Scene Productions, and drove the company’s new business development and content distribution platforms for the entertainment, healthcare, and consumer products clients such as Nike, Gatorade, Iconix, and PepsiCo.

Prior to On The Scene, Di Nonno served in executive marketing positions for Anchor Bay Entertainment/Starz Media and Echo Bridge Home Entertainment where she led global brand marketing, for home entertainment and limited theatrical releases in North America, United Kingdom and Australia. As Executive Vice President and GM for Nielsen EDI, Madeline drove innovations in product development, new business development and client management.

Previously, Di Nonno served as Senior Vice President, Marketing Alliances and Digital media at the Hallmark Channel, and nearly eight years at Universal Studios Home Video as Vice President, Strategic Marketing. Madeline began her career at ABC Television Network in corporate publicity. Madeline holds a bachelor’s degree from Boston University.

Madeline serves on the Board of Directors for the Television Academy Foundation; Board of Advisors for the LA Press Club; Co-Chair, Digital Hollywood’s “Hollywood for Social Change”: Board Advisor GameChanger Films and Rutgers University Institute for Women’s Leadership.

Destiny Ekaragha

Writer/Director, Gone Too Far!

Destiny Ekaragha is a writer/director selected last year as a BAFTA Breakthrough Brit. She was nominated as Best British Newcomer at the BFI London Film Festival 2013. Destiny is currently filming DANNY AND THE HUMAN ZOO for Red Productions/BBC One, a single drama written by Lenny Henry.  

Her first feature film, Gone Too Far!, was released in UK cinemas in October last year, distributed by Verve. The film was selected for and premiered at the London Film Festival in 2013, and was adapted from the stageplay of the same name by Bola Agbaje for Poisson Rouge Pictures/UKFC. It won the Discovery Award at the LOCO Film Festival, a Screen Nation Award for Independent Spirit Film Production, the Audience Choice Award for Best Film at the AFRIFF Film Festival and was selected for Toronto Film Festival and Belfast’s Takeover Film Festival. 

Destiny is attached to direct feature film BLACKHEATH, written by Abby Ajayi, for Lionsgate later this year.  Destiny’s first short film, TIGHT JEANS, which she wrote and directed, was funded by the Southern Exposure branch of Film London. The film was selected for the 52nd BFI London Film Festival in 2008 and voted Best Short Film at the Festival by the Observer. 

Destiny shot another short film in 2009 with producer Tamana Bleasdale, THE PARK, which again was selected for the BFI London Film Festival. In 2010 Destiny directed a COMING UP film for RDF/Channel 4, THE FUTURE WAGS OF GREAT BRITAIN.  

Destiny has written an original comedy feature, LIMP, and is writing her second screenplay.

Baroness Mary Goudie

Co Founder, 30% Club

Baroness Mary Goudie is a senior member of the British House of Lords and a global advocate for the rights of women and children.

She is a passionate supporter of numerous philanthropic organisations including her role as a founding member of the 30% Club steering committee, which aims to influence chairman into bringing more women onto corporate boards across the world. She is a member of the Board of Directors of Vital Voices Global Partnership. In this role she has been involved in training community and business leaders and parliamentarians.  She is also a trustee of the El-Hibri Charitable Foundation, based in the US, whose aims are to foster interfaith dialogue and to establish common ground and solutions to global challenges affecting mankind. Furthermore, she is a member of the Board of Directors of EuropEFE – the European Mission of the Education for Employment Foundation based in Spain (Fundacion Educacion para el Empleo) and she is a member of the UK Board of Directors for the Center for Talent Innovation, a non-profit think tank that focuses on challenges and issues pertaining to the workplace. She is also a member of the Leadership Council of The International Center for Research on Women and a Non-executive of PIVOT, an organization focused on ethical conduct in sport.

She is currently participating in the House of Lords Committee on Sexual Violence in Conflict.

She shares perspectives on her blog – www.baronessgoudie.com and on Twitter ‪@BaronessGoudie‪

Bonnie Greer

Playwright, Novelist, Critic

Bonnie is the writer of the short: “White Men Are Cracking Up” broadcast over BBC2 . Her film criticism has been published in “Sight And Sound” and she has been a film critic for BBC2’s “Newsnight Review”. OTHER: Writer and presenter of BBC 2 documentary “Reflecting Skin” on the Black Image in Western art. Novelist: "Hanging By Her Teeth" and "Entropy". Plays and libretti: "Marilyn and Ella"-Edinburgh Fringe and West End: the libretto for the short opera “Yes”performed at the Lindbury Theatre, Royal Opera House Covent Garden. Latest: 2 plays: a rewrite of "Marilyn And Ella"(-based on the real life friendship of Marilyn Monroe and Ella Fitzgerald) and “Ferguson" to be broadcast on BBC Radio 4, June, 2016. She is member of WAR (Women At RADA The Royal Academy Of Dramatic Art). Bonnie has a theatre/film production company “Base 10” whose aim is to diversity both in gender; colour, religion, age and ability.

Elizabeth Karlsen

Chair, WFTV UK Producer, Carol

Elizabeth Karlsen co-founded Number 9 Films with Stephen Woolley in 2002 after a long collaboration. Elizabeth’s producing credits include: Terence Davies’ “Neon Bible” starring Gena Rowlands and selected for Cannes competition; Mark Herman’s "LittleVoice" nominated for 6 Golden Globe® Awards, an Academy Award® Award® and 6 British Academy Awards®, including Best Picture; HBO single drama "Mrs Harris" starring Annette Bening and Ben Kingsley nominated for 12 Emmys, 3 Golden Globes, 3 Screen Actors Guild Awards and a Producer’s Guild of America Award and for which she received the Women’s Image Network Award; BAFTA nominated “Great Expectations”, written by David Nicholls, directed by Mike Newell and starring Jeremy Irvine, Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter and Robbie Coltrane as well as “Byzantium” written by Moira Buffini, directed by Neil Jordan and starring Gemma Arterton and Saoirse Ronan; "Made In Dagenham", nominated for 3 BAFTAs, 4 BIFAs, 2 Evening Standard Awards and a London Critics Circle Award.

"Made In Dagenham the Musical" opened at the Adelphi in London’s West End in October 2014 starring Gemma Arterton. Elizabeth also produced the international box office success "Ladies In Lavender", starring Maggie Smith and Judi Dench and co-produced Neil Jordan’s "The Crying Game", nominated for 6 Academy Awards®.

Recently completed productions include "Hyena" directed by Gerard Johnson and starring Peter Fernando which opened the Edinburgh Festival in the UK and screened at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York, co-producer on Paolo Sorrentino’s "Youth" starring Michael Caine and Harvey Keitel, and "Carol", an adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s novel, adapted by award winning "Mrs Harris" scribe Phyllis Nagy, directed by Todd Haynes, starring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara. Both "Youth" and "Carol" screened in 2015 Cannes Film Festival to critical acclaim.

Forthcoming Number 9 productions include: an adaptation of Peter Ackroyd’s "Dan Leno and the Limehouse Golem" by Jane Goldman and directed by Juan Carlos de Medina, an adaptation of Lissa Evans, "Their Finest Hour and a Half" by Gaby Chiappe, directed by Lone Scherfig – both of which begin production this Autumn. An original project from Director Camera D’Or winner Anthony Chen and “Colette and Willy” written and directed by Wash Westmoreland (“Still Alice”).

Elizabeth has served on the board of EM Media, The Edinburgh Festival and is currently chair of Women in Film and TV UK.

David Kosse

Director, Film4

David Kosse joined Channel 4 in November 2014 as Director of its award-winning feature film arm, Film4. Kosse oversees the development, financing and green-lighting of all feature films, and support for the distribution of all Film4-backed releases both in the UK and internationally.

With a remit to produce quality independent films, discover and develop new filmmaking talent and help build the UK film industry, Film4’s diverse slate includes forthcoming titles such as Lenny Abrahamson’s ROOM, Justin Kurzel’s MACBETH, Sarah Gavron’s SUFFRAGETTE, Todd Haynes’ CAROL, Paolo Sorrentino’s YOUTH, Yorgos Lanthimos’ THE LOBSTER and Ben Wheatley’s HIGH-RISE.

Kosse joined Film4 from Universal Pictures, where he was named President, International in 2009, and over saw titles such as THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING, for which he was Executive Producer.

Before joining Universal in 2004, Kosse launched and ran UK-based Momentum Pictures. Kosse has also served in several senior executive roles at PolyGram, HBO, Ogilvy and Mather

He is a member of AMPAS and BAFTA, and is on the board of the Donmar Warehouse Theatre, Into Films and Creative Industries Council.

Laurie MacDonald

Producer, He Named Me Malala

Laurie McDonald founded Parkes/MacDonald Productions with producing partner Walter Parkes in 2005 to develop and produce feature film and television projects. Previously, Parkes and MacDonald served as the founding presidents of Dream Works SKG motion picture studio; during their 12 year tenure, they led the studio to three consecutive Best Picture Oscars.

Films produced or executive-produced by Parkes & MacDonald include FLIGHT, CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, AMISTAD, THE KITE RUNNER Stephen Sondheim’s Golden Globe winning, SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET and the Academy Award winning GLADIATOR, among many others. In total, films produced or executive-produced by Parkes and MacDonald have earned in excess of $6 billion in worldwide box office. Their diverse 2015/2016 slate includes NBC’s critically acclaimed The Slap, RINGS for Paramount Pictures and KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES for Fox. Upcoming productions include James Ponsoldt’s adaptation of Dave Eggers’ book THE CIRCLE staring Emma Watson and Tom Hanks, and the live action BARBIE film for Sony scheduled for production late 2015.

In 2012, Parkes/MacDonald teamed with ImageNation Abu Dhabi to form Parkes + MacDonald/Image Nation. HE NAMED ME MALALA is the first film financed by this new partnership.

Deepa Mehta

Writer/Director, Beeba Boys

Deepa Mehta is an Oscar-nominated (Water), transnational filmmaker whose work is celebrated on an international scale. Her emotionally resonating, award-winning films have played every major film festival, and many remain audience favourites. She is best known for her Elemental Trilogy: Earth, Fire, Water. Other films include, Bollywood/Hollywood, Heaven on Earth, and the epic adaptation of Midnight’s Children – Salman Rushdie’s three-time Booker Prize winning novel. Her work challenges traditions and stereotypes and is always daring, fearless…provocative. Mehta is both a rebel and a humanist, and that spirit saturates her newest work, Beeba Boys, a tough, stylish gangster film.

Abi Morgan

Writer, Suffragette

Abi Morgan’s plays include Skinned and Sleeping Around (Paines Plough); Tiny Dynamite (Traverse); Tender (Hampstead); Splendour and Fugee (Murder, Sex Traffic, Tsunami – The Aftermath, White Girl, Royal Wedding, Birdsong and The Hour series 1 & 2.  Her new series, River, for BBC 1 / Kudos will be out in 2015.

Abi’s screenwriting credits include Brick Lane, Shame, Iron Lady and The Invisible Woman. Her latest film Suffragettes for Film4 / Focus Features / Ruby Films will be released later this year. Abi also has a number of films in development including Taming of the Shrew for Working Title, Little House on the Prairie for Scott Rudin Productions and Ashley’s War for Fox 2000.

Eileen Naughton

Managing Director and VP, UK-Ireland Sales & Operations Google

Eileen Naughton is Managing Director for Google UK & Ireland, responsible for revenue and business operations in Google’s second-largest market. Most recently, as Vice President of Global Sales, she was Google’s senior relationship manager with its largest advertising and agency clients. She earlier led sales and operations for YouTube and Google’s display business in the US and Americas, and led Google’s post-acquisition integration of DoubleClick ad tech platforms and ad exchange business. Prior to joining Google in 2006, Eileen held a number of executive positions at Time Warner Inc. as president of TIME magazine, general manager of Fortune magazine, VP of investor relations and president of Time Inc. Interactive, responsible for the digital assets of Time Warner’s publishing division.

Amanda Nevill

Chief Executive, British Film Institute

Amanda joined the BFI in 2003 and has led its complete transformation into a major organisation valued by the UK industry and recognised as influential internationally. Her great focus is on nurturing the next generation of filmmakers and audiences and she has steered the BFI to lead the UK film industry in addressing an imbalance of diversity in front of and behind the camera.

Before the BFI, Amanda was Head of the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television (National Media Museum) for nine years, also serving as one of the Executive Directors of the National Museum of Science & Industry. Before that she was CEO of the Royal Photographic Society.

Amanda is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society and Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts. She holds an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from Bradford University, an Honorary Fellowship from Bradford College and an Honorary Degree from York University. She was awarded a CBE in 2015.

Baroness Patricia Janet Scotland

Rt. Hon. Baroness Scotland of Asthal QC

Baroness Scotland is the former Attorney General of England and Wales. Baroness Scotland has achieved a number of extraordinary firsts: At the age of 35, she became the first black and youngest woman ever to be appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1991. She was the first black woman to be appointed Deputy High Court Judge, Recorder, Master of Middle Temple, Member of the House of Lords, and Lord’s Minister, and is the first and only woman ever to have been appointed as Attorney General.

In 2001 she became Parliamentary Secretary and Deputy to the Lord Chancellor and was made a member of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom. In 2003 Baroness Scotland was made Minister of State for Criminal Justice and Law Reform at the Home Office and in 2007 she was appointed as HM Attorney General for England Wales and Northern Ireland.

Baroness Scotland undertook major reform of the criminal justice system, including the introduction of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act, and during her term of office from 2003-7 crime in England and Wales was reduced to its lowest level since 1981. During this period Baroness Scotland chaired the Inter-Ministerial Group on Domestic Violence which collectively worked together to reduce domestic violence by 64% and led to £7.5bn reduction in the economic cost of domestic violence in England and Wales.

She has won many awards in recognition of her achievements including being voted Peer of the Year, Parliamentarian of the Year and receiving a lifetime achievement award from Euromoney Legal Media Group. In 2008, The Guardian named Baroness Scotland the most powerful female black Briton.

Baroness Scotland is the founding patron of the Corporate Alliance Against Domestic Violence, and in 2011, she founded the Eliminate Domestic Violence Global Foundation. In November 2011, she was appointed Prime Ministerial Trade Envoy to South Africa.

Clare Stewart

Festival Director, BFI London Film Festival

Clare Stewart’s twenty year programming career has encompassed leadership roles as Festival Director, Sydney Film Festival (2006-2011) and the inaugural Head of Film Programs at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image in Melbourne (2002-2006) as well as various roles at the Australian Film Institute (1996-2001), including Exhibition Manager, and programmer and Committee Member of the Melbourne Cinémathèque (1995-2002). She has been BFI Head of Cinemas and Festivals since October 2011.