Woodward quits as UKFC CEO
John Woodward has stepped down as CEO of the UK Film Council (UKFC). He will leave the organisation in early November.
Tim Cagney, currently Head of UK Partnerships at the UKFC, will now be the Managing Director, working with Alan Bushell, the body’s Chief Operating Officer.
Woodward said, “For the next few weeks the UK Film Council is in a dialogue with the Government about the future support structures for UK film. By choosing to make my position clear now, I can be objective and un-conflicted throughout that process. It should then, rightly, be for others to take the new system forward and write the next chapter for UK film.”
“I can’t adequately say what a privilege it has been to serve the British film industry since 2000 – and I enjoyed every minute of it up until 5:35pm on 24 July this year. I am proud of what the UKFC and its staff have delivered over the past decade. But now is the time to focus only on the future and ensure that whatever takes the place of the UKFC builds on its considerable achievements and retains the professionalism and expertise that the industry has said that it wants.”
UKFC Chairman Tim Bevan said, “In the weeks ahead, John, the Board and I will continue to stress the need for the key functions and expertise that currently sit inside the UKFC to be retained in one coherent structure. Once the DCMS [Department of Culture, Media and Sport] has announced in October its plans for setting out the future of UK film, the UKFC will inevitably then begin a process of transition. I fully understand and respect John’s wish not to be part of that reorganisation.”
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