UK producer Open Mind Productions, which has made children’s and educational programs for channels such as the BBC, Channel 4 and Discovery Kids, has announced that its founder and managing director, Roland Tongue, will retire at the end of this year.

The company will now see Nick Underwood leave his commercial director position, which he’s held since 2007, and take on the role of managing director of Open Mind Ventures with Chris Ellis taking on primary creative responsibilities.

Tongue will remain a majority shareholder in the company and act as a consultant producer on a project-by-project basis. Tongue formed Open Mind in 1989 with ex-BBC colleague Ellis. For his part, Ellis helped create and write a number of the prodco’s series including The Number Crew, Maths Mansion, The Shiny Show, and the educational preschool series Numberjacks, which had a recent brand expansion with the launch of a live stage show in September and an interactive website.

Amid the structural changes, Open Mind has relaunched its website and is currently seeking new partnerships and ventures.