The only senior executive with a French background has resigned from Universal Pictures which recently came under the French ownership of Vivendi. International marketing veteran Nadia Bronson has left Universal after 24 years at the studio following the promotion last year of domestic marketing chief Marc Shmuger to vice chairman of the studio with new responsibility for among other areas the international department.

Bronson is currently negotiating to settle the remaining four years of her contract and pursue other opportunities in the film industry.

Bronson is one of the most experienced and well-liked of the international old guard. She joined Universal in 1977, rising to executive vice president, international marketing, in 1996, then president, international marketing, in 1997. In Feb last year, she was promoted again to president, international theatrical marketing, distribution and operations.

However, Bronson is known to have become frustrated as Universal started shedding international rights to pictures such as Erin Brockovich, U-571 and American Pie. In addition, Universal's domestic distribution chief Nikki Rocco was not required to report to Shmuger - as Bronson was - on Shmuger's promotion and continued to report directly to studio chairman Stacey Snider.

Bronson oversaw Universal's biggest ever box office year in 1999 when the studio grossed $1.258bn in overseas markets driven by the success of The Mummy and Notting Hill.

The melding together of domestic and international divisions under one aegis is a new trend among Hollywood studios finally reflecting the increasing importance of international grosses to their bottom line. Last year Sony Pictures similarly promoted domestic chief Jeff Blake over international president Duncan Clark, forcing Clark's resignation.