BPI Senior Leadership Team
Chief Executive - Dr Jo Twist OBE
Dr Jo Twist OBE (she/her) was appointed CEO of UK record labels association the BPI in July 2023 after heading up Ukie, the trade body for UK games and interactive entertainment, from 2012-2023.
With a 25-year background across interactive entertainment, technology, education, creative media and youth culture, Jo has wide-ranging experience in high-level influencing, stakeholder management and organisational change.
She sits on several boards and advisory groups including the UKRI AI Strategic Advisory Team and Creative PEC Board. She was Chair of the BAFTA Games Committee (2013-2022) and a BAFTA Trustee (2018-2022) and was Ambassador on the Mayor of London’s Cultural Leadership Board until 2024.
Jo is also a Visiting Lecturer at the Dept of Computing, Goldsmith's University and VP for games accessibility charity SpecialEffect, Patron of the QUAD Derby, Patron of mental health and games charity Safe in Our World, a Wiggin Foundation Trustee, BRIT Trust Trustee and King's Appointed Trustee for Historic Royal Palaces.
In 2016 she was awarded an OBE for services to the creative industries and was recognised for Outstanding Contribution in the MCV Women in Games awards (2016). She was also named as one of the Evening Standard’s Progress 1000 Most Influential People in 2019 and entered the Computer Weekly Hall of Fame in 2021. She was awarded her Doctorate in online communities, young people and identity in 2001.
Chair - YolanDa Brown OBE DL
For some, world-wide touring and critically acclaimed albums would be satisfaction enough. Not for YolanDa Brown, she wears many hats, musician, broadcaster, philanthropist and wears them with passion and full of vigour.
YolanDa’ music is a delicious fusion of reggae, jazz, and soul. She is currently composing music for the iconic Sesame Street, animated series Bea’s Block on Sky Kids, as well as CocoMelon Lane on Netflix.
YolanDa is the Chair of BPI and the new Chancellor of the University of Kent. She was awarded an OBE for services to music, music education and broadcasting by his Majesty the King and in 2024 appointed by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to sit on the arts and media honours committee.
A champion for the importance of music education, YolanDa was Chair of Youth Music for six years, sits on the Arts Council National Council, a trustee of the PRS Foundation, on English Heritage’s Blue Plaque panel and the advisory board of the London Philharmonic Orchestra. She was invited by the Department of Education to sit on the advisory panel of the National Plan for Music Education and awarded the Music Week – Women in Music “Music Champion Award”.
YolanDa’s music venue and restaurant, Soul Mama, launches in Spring 2024. Soul Mama broke the global record for the largest ever amount raised by a restaurant crowdfund on the Kickstarter platform, and in doing so achieved a Guinness World Record.
Chief Strategy Officer - Sophie Jones
Sophie Jones is the BPI’s Chief Strategy Officer – she was promoted to the role in January 2023 having served as the BPI’s Director of Public Affairs for nearly three years after joining the trade association in April 2020. Sophie was also the BPI’s Interim Chief Executive between January and July 2023.
Sophie’s role as Chief Strategy Officer gives the BPI a strategic and co-ordinated focus around its core public-facing and membership activities, and, as such, incorporates the BPI’s Public Affairs, Communications, Independent Member Services and Innovation and Insight remits.
Sophie has accumulated nearly 25 years’ experience leading strategic communications, public policy and regulation, and public affairs for a number of high profile organisations in media and the creative industries. Prior to joining the BPI she was Head of Corporate Relations at Channel 4, working on a number of major public affairs and communications campaigns and was closely involved with the organisation’s 4 All the UK regional strategy and work on inclusion and diversity. She has also held similar senior roles at ITV and ITN.
Sophie holds a number of non-executive posts, including on the advisory boards of the Policy and Evidence Centre, the AHRC Creative Industries Advisory Group, the British Screen Forum Board and Creative Industries Federation Council.
Chief Operating Officer - MJ Olaore
MJ Olaore has been Chief Operating Officer for UK record labels association, the BPI, since November 2016.
As well as all things operational including Finance and HR, in her time as the BPI’s COO her role has expanded to include responsibility for the organisation’s progression into DEI and Sustainability.
MJ studied Law at Liverpool University and qualified as a chartered accountant with Price Waterhouse in London, including a period working in their Singapore office. MJ’s first foray into the media and entertainment was with Independent Television News which has shaped her career choices ever since. From ITN she moved to LBC radio, expanding her initial finance role to ultimately becoming Station Director overseeing the broadcasting and advertising sales contracts. MJ’s next media role was at Virgin Radio where she progressed from Head of Finance to Director of Finance and Operations.
After maternity leave she returned to Absolute Radio/Virgin Radio as Director of Special Projects. Whilst this served her well initially, she was soon ready for a bigger challenge and took on the newly created role of Chief Operating Officer at the leading independent market research company Firefish. Whilst there, MJ was instrumental in managing the growth of the company from a single entity to a seven-company group, with operations in the USA, Singapore and the Netherlands.
BPI General Counsel - Kiaron Whitehead
Kiaron Whitehead fights for and facilitates creativity. He is an innovative media, entertainment and technology barrister, named in The Lawyer as one of its Hot 100, with 24 years’ experience advising on, winning and defending cutting-edge litigation.
Kiaron is the magnetic North in a crisis. He is authorised by the Bar Standards Board to practice as an employed and self-empolyed barrister - giving him insight and understanding of the financial, practical, political and regulatory pressures of modern business; and an ambitious, commercial and strategic approach to running and managing multiple pieces of litigation.
His legal expertise focuses on intellectual property, the internet, artificial intelligence, commercial disputes, judicial review, corporate governance and investigations; Kiaron regularly collaborates with legal and non-legal teams around the world to resolve disputes, and brings clients success in high-profile UK and multi-regional disputes, often on a class action basis.
He is a believer in the protection of rights in a modern, diverse and digital justice system. The Lawyer describes him as "panache personified". In his spare time, he is Secretary of the IP Bar Association, and also provides pro-bono legal services to those most in need of access to justice. He has been nominated for Advocate’s Pro-Bono Barrister of The Year, where clients praise him for being "passionate, committed and a force of nature" ... "he literally transformed my future"
Maggie Crowe OBE
Director of Events & Charities
Giuseppe De Cristofano
Director of Digital
Gennaro Castaldo
Director of Communications
Chris Tams
Director of Independent Member Services
Leon Neville
Director of Insight
Peter Ratcliffe
Head of Content Protection
