Management Shakeup at CAKE

Tom van Waveren, who has been at the helm of CAKE for 15 years, is stepping down as CEO, with Ed Galton taking over the post.

The company has established a production arm, CAKE Productions, to support the substantial rise in development and production activities on shared and originated projects. These include Mush-Mush & the Mushables, Mama K’s Team 4 and Angry Birds: Summer Madness, along with upwards of 13 properties in development.

CAKE Distribution Ltd remains a cornerstone of the group, with Bianca Rodriguez continuing to head up sales.

Van Waveren will exit the role effective May 1, 2021 and divests his shares in the company. He will stay attached to specific CAKE projects as executive producer though will not be part of the CAKE management team.

Former Finance Director Cat Seddon, who joined CAKE in 2019, is moving to the newly created COO role.

Daniel Bays joins as VP of development, overseeing the expanded CAKE development slate. Bays has over 15 years’ experience in creating kids’ content, including Tree Fu Tom and Bitz & Bob.

Rob Doherty, who joined CAKE in 2018, becomes senior VP of production. He had held previous roles at Aardman Animations, Disney and ITV.

Three new hires have been added to his team: Ciara Breslin comes on board as VP of production. Haïet Lakhouache joins as line producer. Claire Flanders joins in production finance.

Both Bays and Doherty will report to Galton.

Van Waveren said, “I have thoroughly enjoyed building CAKE into the internationally respected organization it is today and I have no doubt that Ed and the new team will take CAKE to new and unexpected heights. From a personal perspective, I look forward to having more time to allocate to my own projects and interests and am excited to find out what will come next.”

Galton added, “Tom and I have been through a great journey together over the past 14 years but now we start a new chapter at CAKE and I am excited for the company’s future. The new team we have assembled at CAKE Productions has the experience necessary to take our production business to the next level and along with CAKE Distribution, these two divisions will be at the heart of our business.”