Leon Forde Appointed Managing Director of Olsberg•SPI

Olsberg•SPI has announced the appointment of Leon Forde as Managing Director of the firm, effective immediately. Leon will manage the firm’s London-based team, as well as parts of its global client list and business development strategy, and report to SPI’s Executive Chair Jonathan Olsberg. Previously an Associate Director at SPI, Leon joined the company in 2014 and has a background in film business journalism, including at Screen International.

Working across SPI’s global client portfolio, Leon has managed a range of projects with published work including Best Practice in Screen Sector Development for the Association of Film Commissioners International (AFCI), Global Film Production Incentives – A White Paper for the Motion Picture Association and The State of the UK Independent Film Sector for UK producers’ body Pact. He has also delivered a range of business planning, strategy and policy projects, including in the international studio facility market, and has undertaken the development and re-engineering of film production incentives in various jurisdictions around the world. A member of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, Leon was selected to join the British Screen Advisory Council’s Future Leaders Forum in 2017.

SPI’s Executive Chair Jonathan Olsberg said: “I am so pleased that Leon has agreed to accept this position and is taking on the role of managing the next phase of the company’s expansion. His qualities are hugely valued by our clients and his colleagues and I look forward to seeing Leon thrive as SPI’s MD”. “I’m delighted to be taking on these responsibilities at a time of significant global growth for SPI,” Leon Forde said. “The firm has been at the forefront of screen sector strategy and policy since its formation in 1992, and I am looking forward to helping SPI build on its leading reputation in the coming years.”