Former BFI chairman and Warner Bros executive Josh Berger has been appointed as the chair of the board of trustees for the Brit School.
Berger was previously the president and managing director of Warner Bros in the UK, Ireland and Spain, and was also president of the Harry Potter Franchise team at the film studio.
The Brit School in Croydon, south London, counts music stars like Adele, Amy Winehouse, Raye and Loyle Carner among its alumni.
Berger is the producer of Guy Ritchie’s upcoming film The Interpreter, featuring Jake Gyllenhaal, and is also a producer of the Broadway musical Ain’t Too Proud.
He said: “The Brit School takes young people from every background and turns them into our next generation of talent.
“I’ve seen first-hand the critical importance that the Brit School plays in providing a free arts education and I am excited and proud to be able to help build on its legacy – the school is indispensable to the future of the creative industries in the UK and beyond.”
In 2012 Berger was appointed a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to the UK’s creative industries and is also a board member of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (Rada).
Brit School principal Stuart Worden said: “The Brit School has impacted on the lives of our many students in so many ways with graduates going on to remarkable careers in the creative industries and beyond.
“We are thrilled to have industry titan Josh Berger joining the extraordinary Brit family as chair of the board of trustees. I know we can achieve great things together as we look to the future of the school in our 30th anniversary year.”
Berger takes over from David Carter.
Last year it was announced that actress and former student Cush Jumbo was set to join the Brit School’s board of trustees. She studied for her A-levels at the school between 1999 and 2003, returning regularly to work with its students.
Since being founded in 1991, the Brit School has taught more than 10,000 young people.
