Simon Perry, the former head of semi-private finance house British Screen Finance, has been appointed director of co-productions at major UK tax financier Ingenious Media.

Perry told Screen International: "My role will not just be about feeding the sale and leaseback operations, but more involve bringing and managing projects that can be assisted with Ingenious' equity financing capacity. Though the details of my role will have to be established with my new colleagues." Perry takes up the position from Monday Feb 3.

The full time role will apparently allow him to retain other jobs as president of Media Plus-backed producer training scheme Ateliers du Cinema Europeen (ACE), scouting UK films for the Cannes festival and a teaching post in Cologne, Germany.

The appointment of an experienced European hand appears to confirm Ingenious' ambitions in the film finance sector, notably to expand away from the now, very hum-drum sales and leaseback format. Producers have become increasingly interested in accessing funds such as Ingenious' new Inside Track equity fund as a number of equity investors such as FilmFour and Sky Pictures have withdrawn from UK film-making and simultaneously public funding has become concentrated in the hands of the Film Council.

Ingenious was recently involved in re-financing two films by Pathe Pictures, including the big budget Girl With A Pearl Earring, on which it is understood to be putting up 35% of the budget.