Lionsgate Chief Financial Officer James Keegan will retire from the studio next month and will be replaced by former Viacom Chief Financial Officer James W. Barge.
Keegan will remain as a consultant until January 3, 2014 to assist with the transition, the company said. He is a 25-year veteran of Lionsgate. His tenure included overseeing the company’s finances as it paid down the $500 million term loan it used to purchase Summit Entertainment, the studio behind the “Twilight” franchise, in 2012.
Also read: Network Execs Take Potshots at Netflix Before Emmys Showdown
Barge served as executive vice president and chief financial officer of Viacom from 2010 to 2012 and executive vice president, controller, tax and treasury, from 2008 to 2010. He also spent 13 years at Time Warner in a number of executive positions. Prior to his tenure at Viacom and Time Warner, Barge spent 13 years at Ernst & Young.
“Jim Keegan has provided 25 years of exemplary service to the Lionsgate family, and he will be missed,” said Lionsgate Chairman Jon Feltheimer. “When he decided to retire, we were fortunate that Jimmy Barge was already working with us on a number of financial initiatives and was available to hit the ground running as our new CFO. Jimmy has tremendous experience guiding the financial operations and strategies of leading major entertainment companies, and he will be a valuable and experienced addition to our management team.”