Industry veteran Bob Osher has been named chief operatingofficer of the Columbia Pictures Motion Picture Group and began working at thestudio's Culver City-based lot yesterday (17).

Osher's dutiesincludeoverseeing business affairs and physical production for the studioand he will report to Sony Pictures Entertainment chairman Amy Pascal, workingalongside co-presidents of production Doug Belgrad and Matt Tolmach, who willcontinue to supervise Columbia's feature film slate.

Osher most recently served as co-president of production at Miramax Films, dividing histime as co-head of the production department and running the legal, businessaffairs and physical production divisions.

In 2002 he wasplaced in charge of Miramax Television and was also co-head of the company'sDVD, home video and domestic television sales divisions.

Recentproduction credits include the upcomingShall We Dance starringRichard Gere and Jennifer Lopez, Underclassmen starring Nick Cannon andhe served as executive producer on Anthony Minghella's civil war drama ColdMountain.

Prior to that Osherserved as senior vice president in charge of business and legal affairs forWalt Disney and Touchstone Pictures and was a co-founder and executive vicepresident of the Turner Pictures Group.