Neil Hatton, who starts officially in the role next Monday, told Broadcast that continuing to represent the sector’s views during government consultations that affect it both directly, such as a new apprenticeships levy, and indirectly, like BBC charter renewal, is crucial.

At the same time, he wants to ensure that membership of UK Screen is better value for money.

He said: “We have had some real success in recent times, through our interventions, especially in helping to reduce the qualification threshold for UK film and high-end drama tax breaks.

“I want to continue with this advocacy remit, ensuring that we make our views known on the industry issues that the board and our members consider important. I also want to introduce a range of exclusive and tangible benefi ts for our members so that they get even better value for their membership fees.”

The benefits that could be introduced include the delivery of detailed industry statistics and data, and improved training opportunities.

“I intend to meet with as many members as possible over the next few months to hear what issues and benefits are important to them,” Hatton said.

A selection of the proposed benefits will be put forward at a UK Screen members meeting in March.

Hatton also told Broadcast he is keen to attract more members from the nations and regions, and would like further out-of-London representation on the board. The ability to bring “local issues” to the table for consideration will be key to this, he said.