British producer Lynette Howell Taylor was elected president of the Oscar Academy for the 2025-2026 mandate, succeeding Janet Yang, who came to the end of her mandate. The Council of Governors of the Institution formalized its appointment during a vote held in Los Angeles, marking a significant turning point in the history of the Academy.
Aged 46, born in Liverpool, Howell Taylor has become the youngest president of the Academy for 70 years-since George Seaton had taken the lead at 44-and the first personality born out of the United States to occupy this post from the Canadian Arthur Hiller, in 1993. These two facts translate a desire for renewal on the part of the organization, which seeks to diversify its ruling figures while reinforcing its international scope.
The new president will be surrounded by a team elected simultaneously for this same mandate. Lesley Barber, representative of the Music Branch, was renewed as vice-president and will continue to chair the committee dedicated to membership. Jennifer Fox, from the branch of producers, access the office for the first time as vice-president and will take the lead of the awards committee. The documentary maker Simon Kilmurry, also a new entrant, will assume the functions of vice-president and treasurer, while Lou Diamond Phillips, representing the branch of the actors, will occupy a position of vice-president in charge of matters of equity and inclusion. Finally, Howard A. Rodman, from the scriptwriter’s branch, is renewed as vice-president and secretary, and will continue his work at the head of the governance committee.
Member of the Academy since 2014, Lynette Howell Taylor is currently signing for the second time on the Council of Governors as a representative of the Producers Branch. She also carried out the functions of vice -president for three years and chaired the Oscar Committee. In recent years, it has greatly contributed to modernizing the Academy’s reflection on its ceremonies and its attribution criteria, in particular by working at their opening and their adaptation in the face of changes in the audiovisual sector.
His career in American independent cinema testifies to an assertive artistic sensitivity, and a constant commitment for daring, human and demanding production. It produced more than twenty-five feature films, among which Half Nelson,, Blue Valentine,, The place Beyond the pines,, Captain Fantastic or Big Eyes. But it’s in 2018, with A Star is Borndirected by Bradley Cooper, which she reaches a world notoriety: the film receives eight nominations at the Oscars, including that of the best film, and is a huge critical and public success. Lynette Howell Taylor will then produce the 92nd Oscar ceremony in 2020, alongside Stephanie Allain, an edition praised for her energy and her desire to open, which will earn her an appointment to the Emmy Awards.
Trained at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, she founded her own production company in 2017, 51 Entertainment, with a very clear orientation: promoting inclusive accounts, support the under-represented voices, and defend gender equality in all links in the film chain. This militant positioning, at the heart of the debates that have been going through Hollywood since the Weinstein affair, has strengthened its credibility in the decision -making circles of the industry.
His appointment comes at a strategic moment for the Academy, which seeks to strengthen its legitimacy and relevance in an audiovisual landscape in full transformation. In recent months, the prestigious institution has undertaken to reform its statutes and to expand its horizon, by introducing new price categories, such as that of the best casting director from 2026, or that of the best waterfall coordinator from 2027. It also tries to reconnect with the public: the last Oscar ceremony brought together 19.7 million viewers in the United States, previous.
In this context, Bill Kramer, director general of the Academy, welcomed this election. He praised the major role of Lynette Howell Taylor in the modernization of the reward committee, stressing his strategic vision, his dedication, and his ability to federate energies around the fundamental missions of the organization: supporting its members around the world, preserving the financial health of the Academy, and celebrating the achievements of world cinema.
With this new office, made up of experienced and committed profiles, Lynette Howell Taylor takes the reins of the Academy at a key moment. She embodies a new generation of leadership, carrying an inclusive vision and resolutely turned towards the future. His election is more than a symbol: this is the sign that Hollywood, despite her slowness, continues to reinvent himself.
