Film and Creative Industries Nova Scotia this week named Lisa Bugden as its president and CEO.

“Twenty-eight thousand Nova Scotians work in arts and culture industries, generating almost $1.2 billion, and we are only scratching the surface,” said John MacDonell, minister of service Nova Scotia and municipal relations in a statement, on behalf of Minister of economic and rural development and tourism Percy Paris.

“Lisa Bugden is the right person, with the right skills, to work with industry to grow creative businesses that many Nova Scotian families depend on,” he added.

The organization said the addition of Bugden as its new CEO will help the province’s creative businesses “expand into new markets, create more jobs and build stronger cultural communities.” She will also lead the organization’s consultations with industry partners to produce a new five-year strategic plan.

Previously, Bugden was a VP with Nova Scotia Business Inc., where she worked with homegrown businesses on developing strategies to reach new markets and become stronger global competitors.

Film and Creative Nova Scotia was launched last November, an overhaul of Film Nova Scotia to become a one-stop shop for Nova Scotia’s creative businesses. The new agency merged Film Nova Scotia and five other government programs in the province, with the intent of removing barriers to creative business growth and development and bolstering the province’s creative economy.

Bugden’s new role is effective Apr. 22.