Welcome letter from Natasha Kaplinsky, President, BBFC and Chair, Board of Directors

Dear Candidate,

I am delighted that you have expressed an interest in applying to be our next Chief Executive Officer for the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC). The information in this candidate brief and on our website will tell you more about the role.

The BBFC is an independent media content regulator. We classify theatrical films, home entertainment content, including on streaming services and DVD, and websites that are delivered through the UK’s mobile networks. Our mission is to help families to choose content that is right for them and avoid what is not, and to protect children and vulnerable adults from harmful content. We carry out widereaching consultation and research to track changing social attitudes towards media content in order to keep a very high level of trust with the British public. The standards enshrined in our Classification Guidelines focus on child protection and the position of vulnerable adults, and they are revised every four or five years after an extensive process of public consultation.

The BBFC is a non profit-making company limited by guarantee. As well as being a statutory regulator, we increasingly work in partnership with home entertainment and other technology- based companies to deliver trusted classifications though self-regulatory models. We are financed by fees charged for classification. We receive no government money for our core function. We are operationally independent of the government and of the film and home entertainment industries. As well as classification, information provision is increasingly important. A wealth of information about us can be found on our website at www.bbfc.co.uk.

Our core mission is to be the trusted guide that helps UK audiences choose what is right for them. We work in a changing landscape of media consumption, including proliferating digital platforms and emerging new technologies. We have been able to balance our statutory duties with innovative technology and with expanding voluntary partnerships across the screen sector. We recognise the deep concern of parents about the availability of deeply inappropriate and often disturbing content online. Following on from Baroness Bertin’s independent review into the future regulation of online pornography we are keen to support the government with our long-standing expertise and to take on a formal role in auditing this online area. As part of our commitment to child protection, we have been working with charities and other stakeholders, and we were delighted to establish our Safer Screens Forum.

This is an excellent leadership opportunity for a candidate with a strong sense of public service, outstanding ambassadorial and relationship building skills and commercial acumen. If this is a role that interests you, we would welcome your application. Details of how to apply are in this brief. If you then have any further questions about the role, please contact our recruitment partner Sarah Thewlis. Her email is applications@thewlisgraham.com.

Yours sincerely

Natasha Kaplinsky