Lee Bartlett to leave ITV

Lee Bartlett, the former managing director of ITV Studios, is to leave the broadcaster as part of a management shake-up in the production division. Remy Blumenfeld, who was appointed by Bartlett as director of global formats, is also leaving. Bartlett, who has run the division for the last two years and will depart next month, was widely believed to be on borrowed time after Kevin Lygo was appointed as managing director of ITV Studios in late April ; he was moved into a new role looking after international production. Lygo, who has already left his former job as Channel 4's director of television and content, takes up his new ITV role early next month. ITV has also today hired senior Disney executive Maria Kyriacou to the role of managing director of global entertainment. Kyriacou, who will join in September, holds the position of senior vice president of digital media distribution for Europe, Middle East and Africa at Disney. She will be responsible for overseeing all sales and distribution strategies for ITV globally. "A key part of the transformation ITV will go through over the next three to five years is the strengthening of our international content business," said Adam Crozier, chief executive of ITV. "We are putting together a senior team within ITV Studios to lead the division through this vitally important period. Kevin Lygo, Maria Kyriacou and the soon to be appointed chief operating officer will help lead the ITV Studios transformation process for the long term." Crozier, who broke the news at a leadership meeting earlier today, also said that senior executives would not have to reapply for their own jobs but would be asked to undergo psychometric testing. "As part of an ongoing programme of investment and development designed to improve the performance of ITV's leadership team, the company's senior managers will take part in a review process designed to understand the ongoing development needs of each member of the team to help them meet the needs of the business," said a spokesman for ITV. • To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email [email protected] or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. • If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication".