ScreenSkills has appointed Laura Mansfield as its new Chief Executive to succeed Seetha Kumar. Currently Managing Director of Outline Productions and a Creative Director of Tin Roof Media Group, Laura will join the company in mid-January 2024 and will report to the Chair of the ScreenSkills board, Richard Johnston.
“Laura has extensive industry experience, both as managing director of Outline Productions and Creative Director of Tin Roof Media Group, and as a non-executive director for Elstree Film Studios and previously as Chair of Pact and board advisor for the Indie Training Fund,” commented Lisa Opie, Deputy Chair, ScreenSkills. “Additionally, she has demonstratable experience of strategic leadership, building collaborative and critical partnerships, as well as an in-depth understanding of, and a clear commitment to, developing and supporting training and career pathways.”
As CEO and working closely with the Board, Laura and the leadership team will continue to build on ScreenSkills’ skills strategy to provide training and development programmes for the sector’s workforce, industry leadership and expertise. As well as working in partnership across the screen industry and wider cross-industry partners, Laura will work with the Skills Task Force to deliver the objectives recently published in A Sustainable Future for Skills.
“I’m delighted to be taking on this role and working with the ScreenSkills team, board and all the brilliant people and organisations who give their time and expertise to the Funds, bringing skills and training to the screen industry. I’m passionate about supporting the development of people in our industry - whether that’s helping new starters or those who are mid-career and upskilling to move genre or role,” added Laura Mansfield. “I’m also looking forward to working with our partners across the UK. It’s a challenging but also exciting time for the screen industries and I’m encouraged by the recognition from the Skills Task Force that the industry needs to come together to build a long-term skills strategy to ensure the UK remains world-leading and best in class.”
Laura co-founded Outline Productions Ltd which was sold to Tin Roof Media Group in 2017. Previously she has worked for BBC Entertainment, BBC Youth and Entertainment as well as at Watchmaker and Rapido TV. Currently a non-executive director for Elstree Film Studios, she was member of Pact Council between 2012 and 2016, and chair from 2014 to 2016. She also served as an advisory board member to the Indie Training Fund (2012-2014).
Laura Mansfield added: “I’ve spent more than two decades working with my co-founder, the incredible Helen Veale and am hugely proud of the legacy of quality programmes, and work culture we’ve built with our teams at Outline. We’ve helped grow hundreds of careers and produced entertaining television that’s made positive real world impact. I’ll miss our creative partnership, but know she’ll continue to do extraordinary things. This unique opportunity now afforded by ScreenSkills to help many others build sustainable careers in an industry I love at a pivotal time was too good to miss.”
Richard Johnston, Chair, ScreenSkills, concluded: “On behalf of ScreenSkills, I would like to thank Seetha Kumar for her outstanding leadership and her tireless commitment to, and advocacy of training, career development and embedding genuine and thoughtful diversity and inclusion across the screen industries. Over the last eight years, she has ensured that ScreenSkills has supported the careers of thousands of people who make some of the best programmes in the world. And critically, her stewardship through the Covid pandemic enabled the industry to emerge from lockdown and rapidly restart production. We wish her all the very best in her next endeavour.”