Nigel Pickard is stepping down from his role as CEO of Zodiak UK Kids and chair of production company The Foundation at the end of this month, Zodiak Media has confirmed.

Pickard will return as a consultant and advisor for the company, and he will maintain his role as executive producer on key titles for The Foundation including the CGI/live-action series The Floogals, distributed by Zodiak Kids and co-produced with US preschool cable channel Sprout.

Taking on Pickard’s responsibilities at The Foundation in the interim will be Gwen Hughes, who was appointed managing director last year and oversees The Foundation’s programming slate. Plans for a new appointment in the Zodiak Kids division are underway, and the company is still looking for a permanent successor to head The Foundation.

Pickard’s exit follows an ongoing executive shuffle at Zodiak Kids. David Michel stepped down as GM of Marathon Media (which, like The Foundation, is a division of Zodiak Kids that also includes Tele Images Productions) in February, not long after Marathon CEO Vincent Chalvon-Demersay also left the company. Former Zodiak CEO David Frank stepped down late last year, replaced by Marc-Antoine d’Halluin.

Pickard joined RDF Media Group as director of kids, family entertainment and drama in 2006. Following the acquisition of RDF by Zodiak in 2010, he took up his current role of CEO MEAA, Zodiak UK Kids, and chairman of The Foundation.

The veteran TV exec has worked in the entertainment programming industry for more than four decades, previously holding positions at TVS, ITV and the BBC.

Melita Kuburas is the editor of Kidscreen sibling publication StreamDaily