Amanda Goddard to succeed James Burstall as Argonon chief

Production and distribution group Argonon has shaken up its top team, with chief legal and commercial officer Amanda Goddard succeeding James Burstall as boss.

Founder and current chief executive Burstall will become executive chairman, with Goodard upped to president and global chief executive.

Burstall said: “Today’s announcement of a brand-new world class leadership team lays the foundations for an exciting future.”

The moves come as part of what the company describes calls “multi-layered strategy to embrace opportunities across the fast-evolving media landscape”.

With an aim of increasing its focus on creating and commercialising IP, Goddard will take on her expanded leadership role with a worldwide strategic outlook.

Having overseen Argonon’s legal and business affairs team, Goddard has pioneered and introduced new content funding and co-funding strategies at the group. She has also overseen and developed the business’s AI strategy and policies.

Additionally, former Argonon USA chief financial officer Matt Widmayer will become global chief financial officer for the group, splitting his time between the UK and US, while Hasham Khan of ABP Advisory will become Argonon’s board consultant.

The moves come less than a year after Broadcast revealed the group had been put up for sale, with Khan’s ABP Advisory leading the process. Khan’s addition to the board, which is a new role, is understood to be separate from any M&A activity and Broadcast understands Argonon is no longer actively looking for a sale.

Khan will bring global strategic insight and his expertise in media company management to support the new leadership team on future growth opportunities, through diversifying its revenue streams and fully exploiting, maximising and commercialising its IP across all platforms and international.

The leadership changes reflect Argonon’s investment in digital and self-publishing content to build new IP and reach new audiences as well as developing high-tech post facilities to support its London-based labels and accelerating its AI capacities.

Burstall said: “As platform-agnostic storytellers whose content reaches millions of people across the world, we must be fearless, experimental, risk-taking and open to radical change to keep us at the cutting edge.”

Burstall’s executive chairman move follows his 15-year tenure as chief exec since he founded Argonon in 2011. During this time, the company has created a diverse, multi-genre operation of seven UK and US-based labels and won myriad awards including Emmys, Baftas and RTS gongs. It is understood he will remain highly proactive in the Argonon team at a global level.

Goddard said: “I am proud and excited to step into this new role, working with visionary leaders and talented teams across our global business.

“As we enter our next chapter amid seismic structural change, our entrepreneurial independence, adaptability and creativity will enable us to move quickly, deepen our partnerships and create content that connects and inspires audiences worldwide.”