Alliance Atlantis Communications’ senior executive vice-president and chief financial officer, W. Judson Martin, will leave the company by September, citing health reasons.

‘Jud is a valued friend as well as a colleague and he will be missed. But as a friend, I know this is the right move, given his health concerns,’ says AAC CEO Michael MacMillan. Martin reportedly suffers from severe asthma. He will stay on until a successor is found.

Martin was named CFO and SVP in May 1999, having previously worked at MDC Corporation. In November 2002, he left to become chief of TGS North American REIT, a real estate investment trust, only to return to AAC in 2003. He also sits on the board of the Canadian Film Centre.

During his tenure, AAC discontinued most of its film and television production operations due to, in Martin’s phrase, a ‘permanent downturn’ in demand. While the move drew praise from investors, it meant the closure of Salter Street Films, as well as offices in Vancouver, Edmonton and London. In October 2003, he helped launch AAC’s Movie Distribution Income Fund, an income trust for its movie distribution business.

-www.allianceatlantis.com