LONDON (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — After sixteen years at the helm, Martin Hopewell is stepping down as Managing Director of Primary Talent International Limited. He will remain at Primary as an agent and advisor to the board, and will continue to represent his roster of artists which include The Cure and Peter Gabriel. His role as organizer of the International Live Music Conference will continue as normal.
Besides overseeing the world wide success and achievements of Primary's ever increasing agency team and roster of acts, Hopewell created a new management team in 1997 and oversaw the move to and purchase of a new office building in Holborn, London during 2006.
The company will continue to be run by the existing board of directors, and Peter Elliott will become the new managing director.
A spokes person for PTI told CelebrityAccess “2007 is already shaping up to be another busy and successful year for the company, with tours from among others Lily Allen, Basement Jaxx, Daft Punk, Fall Out Boy, Gwen Stefani, Kylie Minogue and Patti Smith with a Brits award for "The Outstanding Contribution to Music" going to Oasis.”
Martin Hopewell reflected to CelebrityAccess, "It's been a tough decision to take, but ours is a young and dynamic business, and I believe that everyone should recognize when it's time to step back and hand over the controls to people who are going to move a company like Primary even further forwards. The Board is a strong team of highly talented and experienced individuals, and I know that they will do a great job. Running Primary has been a real privilege – and I'm proud of everything we have managed to accomplish – but I'm also looking forward to seeing what the next chapter brings."
Whilst Dave Chumbley told CelebrityAccess "Having worked alongside Martin in 1983 at Cowbell Agency and other companies in various guises since, I am sure that Martin will enjoy his extra time to not only run the ILMC (This year's ILMC is at London's Royal Garden Hotel, Kensington March 9-11), and continue to represent his star clients but spend more time gazing at the stars – his other consuming passion!"
