Zodiak Kids Studios Exec Shakeup

LONDON: Zodiak Kids Studios is making staffing changes, with Gwen Hughes taking on the post of COO and Zodiak Kids CEO Jean-Philippe Randisi stepping in to lead the production entity.

With the pending departure of current Zodiak Kids Studios CEO Michael Carrington, Randisi will oversee the production arm, while Hughes is being elevated to the new role of COO at Zodiak Kids Studios. She will report to Randisi and oversee all production and operational matters across the U.K. and France. Hughes will work alongside Eryk Casemiro, the chief creative officer for Zodiak Kids Studios, who heads up development teams across both territories. She will also work with BenoÎt Runel, the managing director of Zodiak Kids Studios, France. The transition will take place later this year.

Zodiak Kids Studios continues to sit alongside Zodiak Kids Distribution and Consumer Products teams. Prior to her promotion, Hughes was the managing director at Zodiak Kids Studios in the U.K. Carrington, meanwhile, is moving to ABC Children’s in Australia.

Jean-Philippe Randisi, the CEO of Zodiak Kids, said: “It has been a real pleasure and a privilege to work with Michael. A great deal has been achieved since he joined, making Zodiak Kids a more efficient and forward-looking kids’ specialist with international clout. Gwen Hughes will help us write the next chapter and take a global key position as COO of Zodiak Kids Studios. With Gwen on the operational side and Eryk Casemiro on the creative side, we have very capable hands and brains to ensure Zodiak Kids’s success.”