Alex Pumfrey exits Film and TV Charity for ITV

The Film and TV Charity is hunting a new chief executive after Alex Pumfrey announced she is stepping down after six years to join ITV.

As director of strategic partnerships, Pumfrey will develop the commercial broadcaster's relationships with national media players such as BBC, BT and Sky and international tech companies such as Apple, Amazon and Samsung.

At the charity, Pumfrey oversaw 2019's launch of the annual Looking Glass survey into mental health in TV and film, part of a broader issue to tackle wellbeing that also included the charity’s Let’s Reset campaign.

The third iteration of the survey, published last month, found an improved optimism among full-time staff and freelance workers, but Pumfrey observed that efforts to improve had started from "a very low base". Just 11% said TV and film is a mentally healthy industry - a situation barely changed since the first survey's headline-grabbing statistic of 10%.

The former Digital UK chief operating officer also led the charity through the pandemic, raising £6m to support 10,000 individuals cope with difficulties caused by a hiatus in production.

“My mission when I arrived in 2017 was to secure the Charity’s relevance, impact and financial sustainability – and I will leave satisfied in a job done, but also excited that there is so much more the Charity will go on achieve in its future,” Pumfrey said.

An interim chief executive will be announced when Pumfrey leaves in May, ahead of taking up the ITV role in June. The charity is also recruiting for a new chair of trustees.