Appointment of members to NRC governing body - pen pictures

Dr Murat Akser

Dr Murat Akser is a Senior Lecturer in Screen Production at Ulster University, where he teaches and supervises across film, television and screen production. He has 28 years of experience in screen and media education across Northern Ireland, Canada and Europe, with a strong focus on film production, screenwriting, media cultures and the creative industries.

He previously served as Professor of Cinema and Media Studies and founding department chair of New Media BA and MA programmes in Turkey. His research focuses on AI and cinema, screen industries and media cultures, and he has authored books on cinema and media studies.

Alongside his academic work, Dr Akser is a practising filmmaker. His short film The Gift won Best International Short Film at the Dublin Silk Road International Film Festival. He is also the founding editor of CINEJ Cinema Journal, published by the University of Pittsburgh Press.

He has an MA in Screenwriting for Film and Television from IAST and a Joint PhD in Communication and Culture from Toronto Metropolitan University and York University.

Dr Akser is a Board Member of Northern Ireland Screen. This appointment is unremunerated.

Dr Akser has declared no political activity in the last five years.

Mr John Birkenhead

John Birkenhead has extensive experience of risk, finance and commercial insurance matters, as an independent actuarial advisor, running his own consultancy practice for over 20 years.

He advises a number of UK legal Regulators on actuarial and risk aspects of their public compensation funds as well as previously designing a high-profile compensation fund for historic child abuse, funded by substantial government loans from UK Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG).

Most recently he chaired the Audit & Risk Committee of a rapidly growing pilot school Multi-Academy Trust sponsored by UK Department of Education, chaired the Trust’s staff Pay & Grievance Appeals and sat on interview panels for senior and executive Trust staff.

He is also Trustee & Vice-Chair of Wirral Advanced Motorists, a Registered Charity, improving driving standards and promoting Road Safety.

John sits on a Regulatory sub-committee at the Institute & Faculty of Actuaries (IFOA) as well as being a lay member of Conduct and Complaints Committees at the Law Society of Scotland (LSS).

He has a BSc in Mathematics, is a Fellow of the Institute & Faculty of Actuaries (FIA), a Chartered Actuary (CAct) and a Fellow of the Institute of Mathematics & its’ Applications (FIMA).

John does not currently hold any other public appointments in Northern Ireland.   
John has declared no political activity in the past five years.

Mr John D’Arcy OBE

John D’Arcy is an experienced senior leader in tertiary education in Ireland and the UK and is a seasoned non-executive Board member in a range of sectors including education, economic development, creative industries and sport.

John served as The Open University’s Principal and National Director for Ireland from 2010 to 2026; as well as being interim Director of The OU in Wales and in Scotland for short periods of time. Prior to that, he was CEO of Colleges NI; Director of BDO Management Consultants; Principal Officer for Research at Northern Ireland’s Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment; and Research Fellow with the Northern Ireland Council for Educational Research. He has served on a number of significant reviews for government departments in the UK and Ireland.

He is currently Vice Chair of the Open College Network and Chair of AONTAS, Ireland’s Adult Learning Organisation. He is a former Chair of the Oh Yeah Music Centre, Enterprise NI and Audiences NI and was Vice Chair of Universities Ireland.

John has also been a Board member of Sport NI and the BBC’s Broadcasting Council. He was awarded an OBE in The Queen’s Birthday Honours 2020 for services to education and the arts.

John does not currently hold any other public appointments in Northern Ireland.  

John has declared no political activity in the past five years.

Mr Connor Lundy

Connor Lundy has experience across local government, finance and higher education, with a particular interest in economic development, business development and entrepreneurship.

As an Investment Officer within the Funding Unit at Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, he assesses and supports investment and funding opportunities, working with businesses, community organisations and other stakeholders to deliver positive economic and community outcomes across the Borough.

Connor has previously worked in higher education and internationally in Australia, where he gained experience in financial management, investment, stakeholder engagement and programme delivery.

A graduate of Northern Regional College, Connor also holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Trevecca Nazarene University and has completed the APMG Better Business Cases qualification.

A former NCAA student-athlete and Dean's List scholar, he brings a combination of commercial awareness, analytical skills and stakeholder experience to his public appointment.

Connor does not currently hold any other public appointments in Northern Ireland.  

Connor has declared no political activity in the past five years.

Miss Clare Mullan

Clare Mullan has over 17 years’ experience in economic policy, research, appraisal and analysis across the public and private sectors. She is currently Senior Principal Economist at Invest Northern Ireland, where she leads a team of economists providing strategic economic advice to inform business planning, policy development, programme evaluation and investment decision-making. In this role, she advises on significant commercially focused projects involving both foreign direct investment and indigenous businesses.

Clare has advised senior executives, the Invest NI Executive Committee and Board on economic strategy, value for money, prioritisation, productivity and regional development. She is also a member of the DfE Productivity Partnership Working Group. She has led major programme evaluations, supported the development of new economic modelling tools, and contributed to significant investment and funding initiatives, including City and Growth Deals, Shared Island funding and Enterprise Investment Zone funding.

Her previous roles include economist positions in the Department for the Economy and OFMDFM, as well as economic consultancy roles in the private sector.

Clare holds a BSc (Hons) in Economics and has completed PRINCE2 and Senior Responsible Officer training.

Clare does not currently hold any other public appointments in Northern Ireland.  

Clare has declared no political activity in the past five years.

Miss Banke Opebiyi

Banke Opebiyi is a strategic policy practitioner with over 10 years of experience across Government and Education, currently serving as the International Strategy and Coordination Lead at the Intellectual Property Office.

Her career spans education, policy, finance, and strategy within various government departments. Prior to joining the Civil Service, she spent seven years teaching in inner-city secondary schools, becoming a Head of Department and successfully transforming a "requires improvement" unit into an Ofsted rated "Good" department and boosting GCSE attainment by 18% within 18 months.

Throughout her government tenure, Banke has built deep expertise in regulatory frameworks, strategy delivery, and foresight planning tools that enhance board level oversight. She has a strong track record in high level stakeholder engagement, continuous improvement and cross-sector partnership building.

She holds a BA in Geography, a PGCE, and a Master’s degree in Education, Health Promotion, and International Development from University College London (UCL).

Banke does not currently hold any other public appointments in Northern Ireland.  

Banke has declared no political activity in the past five years.