Rahwa Ghebre-Ab has been promoted to executive vp and chief human resources officer at Lionsgate, starting on May 1.

She succeeds Ross Pollack as he retires after serving as CHRO since 2014. Before that, Pollack was CEO of Celestial Pictures and spent 13 years at Sony Pictures Entertainment. He oversaw the merger of the Asian pay TV channel brand with Lionsgate, Saban Capital and Tigergate to form the Celestial Tiger Entertainment platform in 2011.

Ghebre-Ab, an 11-year veteran at Lionsgate, in 2021 became the studios first chief ethics legal compliance officer. In her new role, she will oversee the studios global human resource operations in North America, the UK and India, while reporting directly to Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer. Rahwa is a rising star who has impressed everyone with her career trajectory and mastery of a wide range of disciplines.Her expertise and problem-solving ability make her a great fit for our entrepreneurial culture and a valuable addition to our leadership team, Feltheimer said in a statement on Friday.

Ghebre-Abs promotion comes as Lionsgate moves to complete a proposed separation of its studio operations fromStarz, its pay TV and streaming business. The studio is also behindJohn Wick,The Hunger Gamesand other movie franchises and has had recent box office wins withBest Christmas Pageant Ever,Den of Thieves 2andFlight Risk.

Pollack oversaw HR at Lionsgate during the pandemic, the 2023 Los Angeles strikes and continuing industry disruption. We thank him for more than a decade of valuable contributions to our studio, Feltheimer said of Pollack as he retires.