Jonathan Klein steps down, moves to Chairman. Next Getty Images CEO ‘will be an outside hire’

As Getty Images celebrates 20 years in business this week, the agency’s leader and co-founder Jonathan Klein is stepping down as CEO into a new role as Chairman. There doesn't seem to be a timeline in place, "Jonathan will transition his CEO responsibilities over time (in the immediate term, nothing changes) and will play a critical role in hiring the right person to lead Getty Images into the future. Getty Images will retain a search firm to assist with recruitment. We can confirm that Jonathan’s successor as CEO will be an external hire. ”Getty on the 20th anniversary: "For the past 20 years, Co-Founder and CEO Jonathan Klein has led Getty Images as it pioneered every significant industry innovation, establishing the company as the pre-eminent business and brand in the market globally. Today, Getty Images announces plans to expand its footprint in the consumer space, as Jonathan Klein transitions into a new role as Chairman."Getty Images also announces the launch of its bold new consumer website, which enables seamless sharing of content and introduces hand-curated ‘best of’ galleries. Designed for people who are passionate about photography, the new experience caters to the 97 per cent of visitors to www.gettyimages.com who enjoy viewing the world’s best imagery, rather than licensing for commercial or editorial purposes.“Getty Images has a 20 year history of leadership, disruption and innovation and we look forward to a strong and successful future. We continue to build on the success of recent changes implemented in our market-leading midstock business and are eager to fulfil the potential of a more consumer-facing strategy. With a strong leadership team in place, the time is right for me to transition to the role of Chairman,” said Jonathan Klein, Co-Founder and CEO, Getty Images.“Mark Getty and I created Getty Images because we believe that imagery has the power to change the world. That is truer today than ever before. Visual content is playing an increasing role in the way the world communicates and we see great opportunities ahead. I have every confidence in our business, our people, our award-winning content and our unrivalled expertise. Getty Images’ 20th anniversary is an excellent time to hand the reins to our next CEO, who will build on these strong foundations.”Eliot Merrill, Managing Director, The Carlyle Group, said, “Jonathan built Getty Images into an iconic global brand. We support his move to Chairman and we are pleased he will continue as our partner once a new CEO is named. We are excited about Getty Images’ future and look forward to fostering the continued growth of this remarkable company.”