UK Film & TV Bullying Reporting Body Secures Top Lawyer As Chair

The UK’s new independent body for reporting bullying and sexual harassment in film and TV has elected its first chair.

Helena Kennedy, who is one of Britain’s most distinguished lawyers, has been named as chair of the organization, which emerged from the #MeToo movement.

Broadcasters and other key industry players have backed the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority (CIISA), which has been set up to take accounts of bullying and sexual harassment within an industry that has been plagued with these issues over the decades.

Kennedy is a top lawyer who has in particular championed reform for women relating to sexual and domestic violence. In 2021, when Afghanistan fell to the Taliban, she evacuated 102 women judges and prosecutors who were on death lists by raising the funds, securing safe houses, chartering planes and resettling the women around the world.

Barbara Broccoli and Heather Rabbatts remain chair and director respectively of Time’s Up UK, from which CIISA emerged.

“Barbara Broccoli and I co-founded Time’s Up UK back in 2018, focused on making practical interventions to bring about change in the industry dealing specifically with bullying, harassment and abuse,” said Rabbatts. “The idea of creating a new standards authority started its journey with Time’s Up UK and has been in development with the creative industries round table and many other partners over these last few years. We are absolutely delighted that Baroness Helena Kennedy is our inaugural Chair to launch CIISA this year.”