Dr Yvonne Thompson CBE Announced as Chair of New Global Charity OKRE

OKRE enables collaboration between the research sector, entertainment industries and those with lived experiences to support the creation of fresh ideas and new content, with the mission to expand people’s understanding of the world. The organisation offers those working in entertainment, research and social impact four areas of opportunity: access to a network of experts across the sectors, curated events, resources and funding.

Building on work in the Wellcome Trust, from which it spun out earlier this year, OKRE is already working with organisations including UKIE, UKRI, BBC, BFI, Brown Girls Doc Mafia, Bond International, Cannes Festival, Counterpoints Arts, Science Entertainment Exchange and Think-Film Impact Production, and supported by partners including Unbound Philanthropy, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and Wellcome.

Other new OKRE Board members joining with Dr Thompson include Patrick Bradley (Founder, Station 12), Kerstin von der Brelie (Chief People Officer, OneFootball) and Laura Clare (Director of Communications EMEA, Instagram). Existing members are Philomena Gibbons (Wellcome Trust), Nick Button-Brown (Videogames & Technology Executive) and Tessa James (TV Production Finance).

The Board of Trustees sits alongside an Advisory Board which includes recent double BAFTA Award winning creative Michaela Coel; Bernard Wolfe Professor of Neuroscience at the University of Cambridge, Paul Fletcher; renowned producer, writer and creative development executive in the video game and film industries, Ben Andac; Global Director PR and Social Media, Adidas Originals, Ambreena Budaly; and Director of Original Documentary at Netflix, Kate Townsend.