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Alex Mahon takes Foundry post

Former Shine boss Alex Mahon has resurfaced to lead the special-effects firm behind the visuals in blockbuster movies Interstellar and Gravity.

Alex Mahon

Alex Mahon

Mahon, who left her role as head of Shine following its merger with Endemol and Core Media at the turn of the year, has joined The Foundry as CEO.

Founded in 1996, the London-headquartered company develops software for high-end visual and 3D effects for the design, visualisation and entertainment industries. The firm, which employs 300 people and makes around £40m (US$60m) in revenues annually, also has offices in LA, Silicon Valley, Manchester, Shanghai, Dublin and Austin.

The Foundry’s Nuke product is used by companies including Dreamworks, Double Negative and Pixar to create visual effects for movies.

“Having spent the last 20 years working in both technology and creative industries, I’m thrilled to be joining The Foundry because of the opportunity for dynamic change and rapid growth,” said Mahon, who also sits on the BBC review panel.

Former Foundry CEO Bill Collis remains full-time as president and board member of the firm, which was acquired by HgCapital for £200m in July 2015.

“Alex has the skills to continue the extraordinary growth The Foundry has achieved over the last decade,” he said. “I’m personally looking forward to focusing on identifying new initiatives and technology partnerships to maintain the company’s entrepreneurial spirit.”

Mahon joined Shine Group (MasterChef, Broadchurch) in 2006 and previously held senior positions at Talkback Thames, FremantleMedia Group and RTL Group.

As well as her BBC role, she is currently a non-executive director of Ocado Plc and The Edinburgh International Television Festival and chairman of the RTS Awards.

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