Pauline Durand-Vialle has been appointed as the new Executive Director of the European Audiovisual Observatory, part of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. She will take office on 15 September, replacing current Executive Director Susanne Nikoltchev who retires this year.
A long-time supporter of the Observatory and its work, Pauline Durand-Vialle will bring in grass roots industry knowledge as she has been CEO of the Federation of European Screen Directors (FERA) since February 2014. In addition, she has served two terms as Chair of the Observatory’s Advisory Committee (from 2021 – 2024). This means detailed insider knowledge of the Observatory and its functioning as well as an already trustful relationship with the Observatory’s governing body, its Executive Council.
In a statement on her new appointment, she expressed “eagerness and a strong commitment to the responsibilities of heading such a highly regarded European organization.” She looked forward to taking the Observatory into the next chapters of its story, to helping to meet the new challenges facing the audiovisual industries, and to building on the work already accomplished by “the Observatory’s outstanding team”.
She paid tribute to Susanne Nikoltchev’s Directorship and thanked her for her support over the years.
Susanne Nikoltchev, retiring from the Observatory after a career spanning 27 years, first as Head of the Legal Department and then Executive Director, felt that she would be leaving the Observatory “in safe hands and well equipped for future developments”. She expressed her deep gratitude for “the pleasure to have worked for 27 years with such a fantastic team, in close cooperation with a very committed Advisory Committee and for an extraordinarily supportive Executive Council.”
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