Prem Gill has been named the CEO of Creative BC, taking on the top job from former president and CEO Richard Brownsey, who retired on June 30.

Gill, who is currently the director of original production and programming at Telus, will take the reins of Creative BC at the end of September. Creative BC, created in 2013, is a not-for-profit agency funded by B.C.’s provincial government that supports British Columbia’s creative sector, including music, book, interactive media and film and television industries. The agency also administers funding and tax credit programs for the film and television industry.

With production in the province thriving – fiscal 2014-2015 was a record year for British Columbia’s production industry with 287 domestic or international productions shooting in the province – Gill said she would like to focus on expanding the talent base in the province and working to ensure the next generation of crews and talent is in place.

“I think [there is an opportunity] to get more people in the trades in schools understanding you can be a carpenter and work on film sets, and looking at how do we ensure we have succession planning in place to keep that valuable industry going,” Gill said told Playback Daily, adding that British Columbia’s VFX shops are also likely facing similar issues around talent retention and legacy planning.

Prior to joining Creative B.C., Gill’s previous positions include director of government and regulatory affairs at CHUM and director of multicultural programming and public affairs at City Vancouver. Gill has been with Telus since 2008. She is currently vice-chair of the board of directors for the National Screen Institute and is on the board for the Vancouver International Film Festival.