LONDON -- Chris Auty has stepped down as chief executive of the Works Media Group, and has been replaced by the company's longtime finance director Norman Humphrey.
Auty said that after running the publicly-quoted company for over five years, through a period of significant rationalization, he now wants to spend more time with his young family.
"I've known for months that I wasn't going to carry on past my 50th birthday this June," he commented. "I've had a good run with the restructuring of the company, and for me it's an amicable way of stepping to one side."
Auty said he has no specific plans for the future, apart from continuing to work as a consultant on certain production projects for the Works, including the upcoming Ben Hopkins pic "The Market."
Crispin Barker, chairman of the Works, commented, "The board would like to express its thanks to Chris for his outstanding contribution over the years and wish him well in his future endeavors. Going forward, I am pleased that Norman Humphrey, who has been of great value to the Works over the last six years, has accepted the role of chief executive officer and will leading the company through the next phase of its development."
Having started out as a company focused on production and development, the Works has shifted its axis over the past five years to center upon international sales and U.K. distribution.
Upcoming U.K. releases include Julie Delpy's "Two Days in Paris" and the portmanteau movie "Paris je t'aime."
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