Pinewood Group chief executive Ivan Dunleavy is leaving the company after 17 years at the helm.

Dunleavy, who oversaw Pinewood’s £323 million ($423 million) takeover by Venus Grafton, will continue to serve the studio as a special adviser.

The UK studio has long played host to movie blockbusters including the James Bond franchise, a string of Marvel titles and both Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. It also offers both TV studios and sound stages for TV production.

Chairman Paul Golding will take over as interim chief executive. Commercial director Nick Smith has also left.

In an email to all staff, Golding said: “Ivan has played a huge role in the success of Pinewood. When we became owners six months ago, we were delighted that he stayed on. Now, having overseen a smooth transition from public company to private ownership and with the business in such great shape, he has suggested the time is right to move on.

Golding added that Pinewood Group would be putting “substantial investment in people and infrastructure at Pinewood and Shepperton” and that the company aimed to strengthen its international presence in the main markets around the world.

Venus Grafton, a subsidiary of PW Real Estate Fund, is managed by London-based asset management business Aermont Capital. It completed its takeover of Pinewood in October 2016.

Pinewood chair Golding is also a partner at Aermont, a London-based investment outfit that is an offshoot of Perella Weinberg’s US private equity business (which it split from two years ago).

Additional reporting by Screen Daily.

 

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