The Garden Taps New COO

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The Garden, part of ITV Studios, has named Fiona Freed as chief operating officer.

Freed has held key executive positions at some of the leading production companies in the U.K. and at Discovery Channel. She has also run her own consultancy, working with clients such as BBC Studios, Expectation, Big Deal Films, Raw, Netflix, the U.K. Government and, in a previous stint, The Garden.

Freed joins the indie ahead of Joint CEO Nicola Hill stepping down next month.

John Hay, joint CEO of The Garden, said: “Fee brings a huge breadth of experience to this role; she’s a superb creative manager with an enviable reputation for ensuring teams are looked after and supported and for combining consistent success with a strong sense of decency and purpose. The creative partnership between production management and editorial has always been at the heart of the way The Garden operates, and Fee is the perfect person to continue it: as Nicola moves on, she leaves a legacy to be very proud of—and in Fee, I feel I have a brilliant ally for The Garden’s next chapter.”

Freed said: “The Garden has always been held in a special place for me, not just because of the heart and innovation that runs through its output, but because of the values it aims to work by in a changing era. Embarking on this new challenge is both exciting and a great privilege.”