A tribute to Liz Muggeridge, fundraiser extraordinaire and longstanding colleague

Harriet Finney, BFI Deputy CEO:

On Sunday 23 August 2026, our dear colleague and friend Liz Muggeridge died after a short illness. Liz leaves behind her husband Nigel and stepson Alex. The shock of losing Liz has been felt across the BFI and throughout the wide network of industry contacts she worked with over many years.

I only got to know Liz really well when I took over from Francesca Vinti, Executive Director of Fundraising & Enterprise, at the end of 2025. Liz was incredibly generous with her time as I got up to speed with all things Business Partnerships and Enterprise, patiently teaching me the ropes of fundraising and always doing so with a great sense of fun.

What I loved about Liz was how fiercely proud she was of both the BFI and her team. She was always the first to champion the work of others and to make sure we put our best foot forward in conversations with potential partners.

As we head towards LFF, many of us will be thinking of Liz. I hope that during those 12 days we can find a quiet moment to raise a glass, celebrate her contribution to the BFI, and remember the impact she had on the lives of so many people she worked with.

Francesca Vinti, who stepped down as Executive Director of Fundraising & Enterprise last year, was Liz’s line manager for almost two decades and has written the following tribute to her:

I had the privilege of working with Liz at the BFI for 17 years, during which we both grew into our respective roles and witnessed the organisation evolve in remarkable ways. Although I was her line manager, we never had a conventional relationship. From the start, Liz was fiercely independent, self-assured and deeply knowledgeable, bringing a strong sense of purpose and conviction to her work and everything she did. And over the years, what began as a working relationship, turned into a friendship shaped by shared challenges and remarkable successes and underpinned by mutual respect, with resilience and humour on the way.

Liz started working at the BFI in July 2009 as Associate Director, Sponsorship and then moved to the position of Director, Business Partnerships and Enterprise in 2023, a trajectory that fairly recognises her outstanding fundraising and leadership skills and her innate authority. Her contributions to the success of the Fundraising & Enterprise team have been immense. Her team alone raised an extraordinary £37 million during her tenure. Year after year, she secured new deals and retained loyal partners for the BFI London Film Festival and for countless year-round programmes and other BFI projects. She had a rare ability to build enduring connections founded on trust and genuine friendship and shaped the BFI’s relationships with sponsors and commercial partners with exceptional skill and integrity, inspiring partnerships that endured for decades and turning contractual agreements into lasting human bonds for the benefit of everyone. Sponsors, agents and colleagues alike hugely respected her, not just for her professionalism, but also for her authenticity and strong convictions. And underpinning it all was Liz’s wonderful sense of humour, her quick wit and incisive insight, which accompanied her – and all of us – in even the most challenging days.

Some of the things I loved most about Liz were her ability for detecting substance over ego and her knack for cutting through unnecessary noise to focus on what really mattered. I can truly say that her talent for getting to the heart of a complex negotiation and finding a path to resolution is something I have very rarely encountered elsewhere. 

She was also an unwavering ambassador for her team. Those who worked with her knew that she valued competence and preparation and expected very high standards. In return, they had a powerful champion in their corner, who would support, defend and encourage them fiercely – and I know she will be sorely missed by them all. That loyalty extended to other colleagues – among them Hannah Clifford, with whom she shared a deep friendship. As peers, they were each other’s sounding board, confidante and advisor. They celebrated triumphs together and helped one another navigate the challenges of fundraising leadership, always finding ways of injecting enjoyment into their relationship.

She had excellent judgement and was never afraid to express her views and open up a discussion, even when they caused a stir. She had little patience for pretension or unnecessary bureaucracy but in exchange she offered clarity, honesty and action, qualities that made her both a formidable colleague and a great adviser to many of us. 

Her deeply held principles and strong moral compass meant that she played an active role in BFI discussions around fundraising ethics, anti-racism, wellbeing and inclusion, always contributing meaningfully to discussions and helping to drive change. 

Beyond the office, Liz had a deep love of animals and the outdoors and found great joy in horse riding and spending time with her beloved horse Willo, her beautiful dog Freddie and the cats she cared for over the years. A campervan or a camping holiday in the beautiful English countryside was always preferable to a conventional holiday, which Liz would’ve found deeply boring. 

For those of us fortunate enough to have worked with her, she leaves behind an extraordinary professional legacy but also years of fabulous shared memories and enduring affection.