Alan Parker is leaving as chairman of the UK Film Council after five years, the film support body confirmed this week.

Stewart Till, vice-chairman of the council and head of UIP, is seen as a potential replacement for the position, which is expected to be filled over the summer. Parker will have done two full two terms as chairman.

"During his tenure at the UK Film Council, and before that at the BFI, Alan has always given an immense amount of time and energy," said a council spokesperson.

Parker was the founding chairman of the Council and has been a high-profile figurehead. His passionate belief that the UK film industry should be a player on the global stage, working with both the US studios and the rest of the world, has won him support and, in some quarters, critics.

During his tenure, National Lottery funding for film has been put on a more commercial footing, while the council has drawn up proposals for linking tax-driven subsidies more closely to the marketplace by awarding tax credits to distribution costs.

Parker has chaired the Council since August 1999. Before that, he was chairman of the BFI.

Meanwhile, writer-director Gurinder Chadha, media solicitor Mark Devereux, Heather Rabbatts, managing director of 4Learning, Channel 4's education division, and Colin Brown, chairman of effects house Cinesite Worldwide, have joined the Council as board members. The three-year appointments start with immediate effect.