Indie producers’ trade body, Pact, has announced the appointment of Raise the Roof Productions’ Jane Muirhead as Pact Chair for the next two years.

Muirhead was uncontested as Chair during the recent Pact Council elections. Eleven Council Members have also been elected to Pact Council for the same period.

Jane Muirhead succeeds Co-Founder of 60Forty Films, Hakan Kousetta, who stands down at the end of the year having served two years as Chair.

Muirhead is co-founder and MD of Glasgow based Raise the Roof Productions whose titles include Kirstie and Phil’s Love it or List it. She currently sits on Pact Council and co-chairs the Scottish TV Working Group.

The elected Pact Council Members are:

  • Emyr Afan, Afanti Media Ltd, elected uncontested as National Representative for Wales
  • Kate Beal, Woodcut Media – newly elected
  • Tom Brisley, Arrow Media – newly elected
  • James Burstall, Argonon – newly elected
  • Alistair Davis, Mentorn – newly elected
  • Emma-Rosa Dias, Afro-Mic Productions – newly elected
  • Alex Jones, Red Planet Pictures – re-elected
  • Jane Kelly, Big Mountain Productions, elected uncontested as National Representative for Northern Ireland
  • Jacqueline Moreton, Banijay UK – re-elected
  • Claire Mundell, Synchronicity Films – re-elected and also newly elected as National Representative for Scotland
  • Sue Vertue, Hartswood Films – re-elected

Pact Chief Executive, John McVay, said: “I’d like to thank Hakan for his time as Chair over the past two years, and for his time on Pact Council. Hakan was instrumental in the creation and success of the Government’s Film and TV Production Restart Scheme which enabled indies to get back to work during the pandemic and has led Pact Council through the rocky post-pandemic years. And welcome to Jane and the new Pact Council with whom I look forward to working with to navigate the uncertainty the industry faces over the next few years.”

Jane Muirhead said, “Having been a member of Pact Council in various roles for over a decade now, I am a strong advocate of the work that Pact does to help both existing and new indies navigate domestic and global markets and grow their businesses. To deliver on our shared values it’s imperative we have a robust, sustainable sector across the whole of the UK that speaks with a united voice. I would like to thank Hakan for his fantastic work as Chair over the past two years, battling the pandemic’s financial and practical obstacles, as well as other threats to the sector such as the Government’s privatisation of Channel 4. And I look forward to working with John and Pact Council over the next two years to ensure that the UK’s TV and film sector continues to prosper despite the continuing challenges it faces.”

Pact Council oversees the work of the trade body, signing off budgets and financial plans, as well as agreeing the organisation’s policies, campaigns, terms of trade and collective agreements.

The elected Council members will serve a two-year term, running from January 2023 to December 2024.

Jon Creamer

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