With the approval by the Secretary of State of the 1.6m sq ft Marlow Studios in November 2025, the Board of Marlow Studios Limited is pleased to announce the appointment of Sir John Armitt as Chair and Max James as Chief Executive Officer to take the project to the next phase of implementation.
Original CEO Robert Laycock is to step down from his role and will now become a non-exec director on the board.
Marlow Studios was granted planning approval by the Secretary of State last year. The development, outside Marlow, Buckinghamshire, includes 18 studio soundstages as well as flexible workspaces, innovation space, and a culture and skills academy.
Armitt said: “The studios’ construction is a strong vote of confidence in the UK creative and technology sectors, reflecting the world-leading role that the UK plays in the global creative economy. This leadership role for the UK is founded on our deep-rooted talent base, our long tradition of creativity and our business excellence. It is a cornerstone of the UK economy of which we should all be proud.
“We owe a great deal to the leadership and vision from the founders that have brought Marlow Studios to this point, and I look forward to continuing to work with them. Marlow Studios’ ambition is to help lead the UK creative sector into the next decade and beyond, as a home for some of the world’s most innovative creative talent.”
Laycock added: “Britain plays a leading role in the world’s creative economy and our production sector has the ability to define the coming era of filmmaking. Marlow Studios is the campus designed to deliver that potential. Remarkably, the top five live-action titles of 2026 have sold tickets worth over $6.28bn around the world and 85% of that box office revenue is from films made here or produced by Brits. My co-founders and I are delighted to have appointed Sir John and Max and we are looking forward to taking Marlow Studios through its next phase and realising our vision.”
