BBC head of creative diversity Joanna Abeyie is standing down after just over a year in the role to return to her consultancy business Blue Moon.
Abeyie, who took up the role in April 2022, initially on an interim basis, will exit in early July to focus on Blue Moon, which she set up in 2018.
She succeeded Miranda Wayland, who joined Amazon Studios and Prime Video as the company’s head of Europe DEI.
In a letter to BBC staff, shared with Variety, BBC chief content officer Charlotte Moore said she hoped the BBC would work with Abeyie again as an external consultant.
Moore said that an “important part of her legacy” would be the draft of the BBC’s Creative Diversity plan. The sentiment was echoed by group director of diversity and inclusion Chinny Okolidoh, who said the plan “puts a focus on ‘nothing about us without us’, by collaborating with relevant external partners and stakeholders, and putting transparency, accountability and audience insights front and centre of our diversity and inclusion priorities”.
In 2020, Abeyie was awarded an MBE for services to diversity and inclusion in the creative and media industries. Moore praised her subsequent efforts in helping to deliver the BBC's diversity fund commitments, her work in training suppliers and providing editorial support and advice, and her support and championing diversity across the industry.
Okolidoh said she would appoint an interim successor in due course, and appealed to interested BBC staff to come forward.
Abeyie's exit follows that of director of creative diversity June Sarpong last autumn.
Meanwhile, at Amazon, Wayland has urged graduates of its Prime Video Pathway training programme to "be brave" in calling out toxic behaviour as they start out in the industry.
"Every time we sit in silence when things aren’t going well, we perpetuate a situation that doesn’t help you or the next generation of talent," she said.
”You’re individuals, you can only work nine hours in a day. You need to rest. If the conditions aren’t right or you feel that things aren’t going the way they should, you have to speak up.”
Wayland urged the emerging talent to "be honest" about their needs.
"Don’t suffer in silence because it doesn’t help you," she said. "It doesn’t help us and it doesn’t help the industry.”
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