Marlow Studios has announced the appointments of Sir John Armitt CBE as chair and Max James as CEO.
Bringing a wealth of experience to their roles, the pair aim to take the project to its next phase, said the company. Current chief executive, Robert Laycock, who has led the venture from its inception, will step down to become a non-executive member of the board alongside the new appointees and fellow founders Simon Barrowcliff, William Camoys and John Hartz.
As chairman of the Olympic Delivery Authority for London 2012, Sir John played a leading role in delivering the Games. Among other senior positions, he has been chair of both the National Infrastructure Commission and National Infrastructure Strategic Transformation Authority. His career has included the chairmanship of City & Guilds, non-executive directorship of Berkeley Group and chief executive roles at both Network Rail and Costain Group. He also chairs the private-sector-led Public Private Partnership Commission which recently reported on the financing of the UK’s infrastructure.
In a 35 year career in real estate investment banking, James has held roles at Barings, Lazard and HSBC, latterly as global head of real estate. Becoming CEO of Quintain PLC in 2011 and subsequently Blackwall London, he led the development of major mixed-use developments such as Wembley Park, Greenwich Peninsula and Thameside West.
Commenting on his appointment, Sir John said, “The Studios’ construction is a strong vote of confidence in the UK creative and technology sectors, reflecting the world-leading role that the UK plays in the global creative economy. This leadership role for the UK is founded on our deep-rooted talent base, our long tradition of creativity and our business excellence. It is a cornerstone of the UK economy of which we should all be proud.
“We owe a great deal to the leadership and vision from the founders that have brought Marlow Studios to this point, and I look forward to continuing to work with them. Marlow Studios’ ambition is to help lead the UK creative sector into the next decade and beyond, as a home for some of the world’s most innovative creative talent.”
Founder and outgoing chief executive, Laycock, added, “Britain plays a leading role in the world’s creative economy, and our production sector has the ability to define the coming era of filmmaking. Marlow Studios is the campus designed to deliver that potential. Remarkably, the top five live-action titles of 2026 have sold tickets worth over $6.28 billion around the world, and 85 per cent of that box office revenue is from films made here or produced by Brits. My co-founders and I are delighted to have appointed Sir John and Max and we are looking forward to taking Marlow Studios through its next phase and realising our vision.”
The 1.6 million sq ft Marlow Studios project was approved at Ministerial level late last year.
