Arike Oke

Arike Oke is the Executive Director, Knowledge and Collections, for the British Film Institute.

Arike Oke is a noted cultural leader, a registered archivist, and curator. She leads the screen heritage collections at the British Film Institute in the role of Executive Director of Knowledge, Learning and Collections. Her practice is rooted in social justice and the role of culture in giving strength to, and inspiring, individuals and communities. Formerly she was the Managing Director for Black Cultural Archives, the home of Black British history.

She’s previously worked in heritage across the UK, from the seminal Connecting Histories project in Birmingham, to developing Wellcome Collection’s archive, and co-convening Hull’s first official Black History Month. Her interest in supporting the sector includes assessing funding applications for Wellcome, the Royal Society and the National Archives, assessing higher education research impact for REF and judging the 2022 Write on Art Prize.

Formerly Co-Chair of the Association of Performing Arts Collections, she has advised the National Archives, BAFTA, and UK government. She is a Group Board member at Notting Hill Genesis, a trustee of Iniva, and is a fellow of the Arts Council’s Museums and Resilient Leadership programme.