Ed Galton named new CEO as Tom van Waveren steps down; Cat Seddon named COO.
CAKE has announced that after a 15-year tenure, CEO Tom van Waveren is stepping down effective May 1. Ed Galton will take over as CEO, with former finance director Cat Seddon moving to the newly created COO role.
As the CAKE Group expands, CAKE Productions Ltd has been created 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 with upwards of an additional 13 properties currently in development. CAKE Distribution Ltd remains a corner stone of the group with Bianca Rodriguez continuing to head up sales.
The following appointments have been made to the newly formed production entity:
Daniel Bays joins as VP of development, overseeing the expanded development slate. He has over 15 years’ experience in creating kids’ content including the BAFTA-nominated preschool animated series Tree Fu Tom and the popular CBeebies & Boat Rocker show Bitz & Bob.
Rob Doherty (formerly Aardman Animations, Disney, and ITV) joined CAKE in 2018 and becomes SVP of production. Three new hires have been added to his team:
- Ciara Breslin comes on board as VP of production - Breslin has managed animated series and features for prominent studios and most recently served as line producer on A Stork’s Journey for Knudsen Film and Dragon Rider for Constantin Film.
- Haïet Lakhouache joins as line producer from French animation house TeamTO where she worked on numerous series including Mighty Mike, Rabbids Invasion and Elena of Avalor.
- Claire Flanders joins in production finance. Her experience within media finance includes roles at DreamWorks Animation and Passion Pictures.
Both Bays and Doherty will report to CEO Ed Galton.
Tom van Waveren will stay attached to specific CAKE projects as executive producer. He will no longer form part of the CAKE management team.
“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,” commented van Waveren. “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.”
“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,” shared Galton. “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.”
Source: CAKE
