Everyman cinema chairman to bow out after shrinking pandemic losses
Everyman Media Group’s chairman has announced his exit, after helping steer the cinema chain through pandemic restrictions.
Paul Wise, executive chairman, will remain in his role until the end of February next year, when he will then depart to pursue other interests.
The outgoing chief joined the group in 2013, having been a partner at accountancy and consultancy giant BDO for around three decades.
CEO Alex Srimgeour said Wise had been “instrumental in building the Everyman proposition, growing the business and, most recently, navigating the challenges posed by the pandemic.”
The London-headquartered cinema chain, like most media businesses, was battered by successive lockdowns in the UK.
Wise has overseen the firm’s bounceback, after Covid-19 saw it slump to an eyewatering £19m loss in 2020.
Philip Jacobson, currently a non-executive director, will take on the role of non-executive chairman when Wise bows out.
“I have seen first-hand the outstanding job Paul has done in building Everyman into what it is today,” said Jacobson.
“The business has undergone remarkable growth and positive change under his guidance. Like Paul, I am passionate about the Everyman brand, and look forward to helping the company pursue its ambitions in this new role.”