TheMotion Picture Associationhas namedUrmila Venugopalanas its new president and managing director of the Asia-Pacific region.

Venugopalan, formerly the MPAs executive vp of strategy and global operations, will succeed Belinda Lui, who is stepping down after five years. The leadership change becomes effective on Jan. 31.

Venugopalan joined the MPA in 2017 and has worked to align the associations U.S. and international teams, streamline global operations and increase coordination between the legal and policy functions. Based in Tokyo, Venugopalan will report to Gail MacKinnon, the MPAs senior executive vp of global policy and government affairs.

MPA In the new role, the MPA says Venugopalan will continue to expand the U.S. studios and streamers access to local markets, promote production in new areas, and strengthen advocacy, operations, and personnel across the Asia-Pacific region.

Working closely with the MPAs anti-piracy arm, the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), she will also focus on protecting the commercial and creative interests of studios/streamers and local screen communities. Venugopalan will also retain her current responsibilities as the MPAs corporate board liaison.

Urmila is a veteran leader who thrives at the complex intersections of business, public policy, and global affairs, said Charles Rivkin, Chairman and CEO of the MPA. Urmila joined the MPA at a time of critical change and helped revitalize and realign its structure and priorities, strengthening our organization from the inside out. I have full confidence that her deep experience working with every aspect of our global business operations, coupled with her existing corporate board liaison responsibilities, will advance our members objectives across the Asia Pacific and beyond.

Added MacKinnon: I am thrilled to welcome Urmila to my team. She is a trusted advisor who has earned the respect of colleagues and member companies. Her work has already touched every part of our organization, and she maintains a wide-angle lens on key political and sectoral trends all while remaining laser-focused on how we can best tell the story of a creative industry that drives local economies, creates jobs, and connects communities everywhere. With her at the helm of our APAC operation, I am confident the MPA will achieve even greater impact in the fastest-growing region. I am also grateful to Belinda for her effective stewardship and counsel, which has greatly benefitted the MPA and our member studios in the region.

Prior to joining the MPA, Venugopalan served as a member of the policy planning staff at the U.S. State Department in Washington, D.C., and as a senior consultant at the Albright Stonebridge Group.

Said Venugopalan of her new appointment: The Asia-Pacific region has already played an important part in the history of our industry and is set to assume a starring role in the future of great storytelling. At this critical juncture for the film, television and streaming industries, MPA members are more excited than ever about the vitality of this region its enthusiastic and engaged audiences, its relentless dynamism, and its immensely talented casts and crews. I look forward to supporting our member studios and their local partners in their collective efforts to fuel local economies and enrich cultures across the region.