French animation studio Xilam Animation has appointed Caterina Gonnelli as external vice president of content for the company’s slate of projects.

Prior to Xilam, Gonnelli joined The Walt Disney Company in 2012 with an initial remit focused on local acquisitions and productions for the French market, which expanded over the years to include multi-territory pre-buys and co-productions across the EMEA region for Disney Channel, Disney XD and Disney Junior from the identification of new third-party content to negotiation.

“We are thrilled to add such a remarkable talent to Xilam’s top executives,” says Marc du Pontavice, chief executive officer, Xilam Animation. “Caterina has built a very strong profile over the years from development to production, from acquisition to programming, at one of the world’s most prominent kids’ studios. Such invaluable expertise will boost Xilam’s response to a very fast-growing market towards premium kids’ content.”

Gonnelli has also previously held positions including development executive and creative producer at independent French production companies.

 “Xilam Animation has established an impressive, diverse and engaging slate of projects for kids and their families,” says Gonnelli. “I’m thrilled to be joining Marc and the team at this exciting time of growth as the company gears up for major new series launches, including ‘Oggy Oggy’ for Netflix, and to continue shaping the company’s vision and content offering.”