Sarah Hickey is stepping down after nearly 15 years as co-founder of Melbourne-based production company Monster & Bear to pursue her directing career full-time.
In response, the business has refreshed its leadership structure with two new appointments, Samantha Haines as head of production and Leslie Preyer as creative director.
Both will work alongside co-founders Josh Mitchell-Frey and Ryan Bird, who will continue in their executive leadership roles.
"Leaving Monster & Bear is bittersweet after so many years," said Hickey.
"But now it feels like the right time to follow my heart into directing full-time, focusing on TV series and commercial storytelling without trying to run a company at the same time."
The restructure comes as Monster & Bear sharpens its focus on shifting budgets, new content formats and complex media ecosystems.
"I'm sad to be saying goodbye to Sarah, but also very happy for her to be diving into her creative work completely," said Preyer.
"I'm looking forward to lifting the creative bar even higher and working alongside Sam, Josh and Ryan to help steer the M&B team in this next chapter of the business."
While Hickey is leaving the leadership team, she will remain on Monster & Bear's creative roster, available for commercial projects as a director.
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