Veteran distribution and marketing executive Kezia Williams has been named Managing Director for the UK and Ireland at Universal Pictures International, and will take up the post at the end of February. This marks a return to Universal for Williams who previously spent five years on the UK marketing team. Most recently, she was Managing Director at Entertainment One, overseeing the company’s UK film business.
Williams will report to Paul Higginson, Executive Vice President, EMEA for Universal Pictures International and will manage day-to-day operations in the territory, which is one of UPI’s biggest theatrical markets. Williams will work with Higginson to drive box office revenues and set strategic goals and objectives for the UK and Ireland operating companies — overseeing sales, marketing, publicity and finance, and working closely with the heads of marketing, finance, legal, acquisitions and human resources. She replaces former Universal Pictures UK MD Rob Huber who left the company at the end of last year.
With more than 20 years of experience in distribution and marketing, Williams is known in the UK as an industry leader. During her earlier tenure at Universal, she contributed to the successful launch of Despicable Me before becoming Deputy Marketing Director for Warner Bros UK for over three years.
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At Entertainment One, she was initially Head of Marketing & Distribution before becoming Managing Director, overseeing the company’s UK film business and leading integrated, event-driven campaigns to record-breaking results including 1917, The BFG, The Girl on the Train and Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves.
Williams is also known for championing inclusivity and career development. At Entertainment One, she served as eOne’s Wellbeing Council Co-Chair and also as Executive Sponsor for the Women’s Leadership Network. She has also been Chair of the Board of Trustees of MediCinema UK since 2018.
Higginson commented, “I am confident that Kezia will be an invaluable leader for our UK and Ireland teams, bringing fresh approaches backed by decades of experience to garner operational excellence. Her leadership, coupled with the exceptional talent and management in place in the UK and across the region, will further our positioning in the market as we gear up for our full slate of films for 2025 and beyond.”
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