The Visual Effects Society (VES), the industry’s global professional honourary society, announced its new officers for board of directors 2026. Together, the five officers comprise the VES board executive committee.
The 2026 officers of the VES board of directors are:
Chair: Kim Davidson (Toronto, Canada)
First vice chair: David H. Tanaka, VES (San Francisco Bay Area, U.S.)
Second vice chair: Brooke Lyndon-Stanford (London, England)
Secretary: Frederick Lissau (Los Angeles, U.S.)
Treasurer: Jeffrey A. Okun, VES (Los Angeles, U.S.)
“I’m honoured to continue leading the VES board of directors alongside both new and returning colleagues on the executive committee. As a global organisation, the VES continues to grow and thrive thanks to the dedication of our board members and our many section leaders and volunteers worldwide, and it’s inspiring to see their talent and camaraderie in action,” said Davidson.
“On behalf of the VES and our membership, I’m thrilled by the caliber of expertise this new leadership team brings to our global organisation,” shared VES executive director Nancy Ward. “Their passion and commitment will enable us to grow and enhance the VES and support the VFX industry.”
About the board of directors:
Davidson: He is the president and CEO of SideFX, a company he co-founded in 1987. He has received three scientific and technical awards from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In 2018, he accepted on behalf of SideFX, the Academy Award of merit for the creation and development of Houdini. Davidson was the first chair of the VES Toronto section and has served on the Toronto section board for eight years. He has served on the global VES board of directors for seven years, on the membership committee for seven years, as well as a number of VES ad hoc committees. He has been a VES mentor and played an active role in the society’s recent strategic planning process on its Impact & Visibility and Globalisation sub- committees.
Tanaka: He is an editor, producer and creative director. For 15 years he worked at Industrial Light & Magic in VFX production and VFX editorial on films including Jurassic Park, Forrest Gump and the Star Wars saga. He then went on to Pixar Animation Studios as a special projects editor for 10 years, contributing to such productions as Cars, Ratatouille, WALL•E, Up, Toy Story 3 and Monsters University. Passionate about music, he is a key creative editor behind such immersive symphonic productions as Pixar in Concert, Star Trek: The Ultimate Voyage (a 50th anniversary celebration of the franchise) and DreamWorks Animation in Concert.
In recent years, Tanaka served as VFX editor at Tippett Studio in Berkeley, California, having worked on streaming shows The Orville: New Horizons, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Disney/Marvel’s Ironheart.
He has served three terms as chair of the VES Bay Area Section, as well as three terms as second vice chair on the global board of directors. He currently co-chairs the VES archive committee, and has also been a contributor to The VES Handbook of Visual Effects publications. In 2022, Tanaka was honoured with both VES Lifetime Membership and VES Fellow distinctions.
Stanford: Stanford is the founder and CEO of Atomic Arts, a visual effects house created in 1994 with bases in Europe, North America and Asia. At Atomic Arts, Brooke is hands-on where he VFX supervises and produces along with his other obligations, having gained experience in all disciplines of visual effects over more than three decades.
He is also the founder and owner of Omeira, a production company created to make thought-provoking films and high-end scripted television. Their first movie was Paul Schrader’s First Reformed, starring Ethan Hawke & Amanda Seyfried, on which Stanford is an executive producer.
Stanford has been on the global VES board of directors for over twelve years, has previously served on the executive committee as treasurer (the first ever member of the VES EC not from North America), as chair of the London Section, and co-chair of the outreach committee. He has worked tirelessly to help flourish a more global leadership for the VES.
Lissau: Lissau recently celebrated his 30th year in the visual effects, animation and games industry. He started his production management career in feature animation at The Walt Disney Company and DreamWorks before moving over to visual effects at Sony Pictures Imageworks. In his career he has also worked at other VFX houses including: MPC, Pixomondo, Shade amongst others. His industry journey has led him to positions in seven cities, four countries and three continents.
Lissau is currently the business development director for Black Point, a visual effects house based in Armenia.
This is Lissau’s first year as a member of the global VES board of directors and executive committee. He has been a VES member since 2016. He has previously served on the board of managers for three VES Sections: Los Angeles as co-chair for two years, New York as secretary for one year and on the Montreal Board. He is also an active member of the VES membership committee.
Okun: Okun (VFX supervisor) is renowned for his mastery in crafting seamless and ‘organic’ visual effects that not only blend invisibly into cinematic storytelling but also drive the narrative of landmark ‘tent-pole’ productions. His innovative artistry has garnered international recognition and accolades for contributions to acclaimed films such as The Last Samurai, Blood Diamond, Deep Blue Sea, Long Kiss Goodnight, Lolita, as well as iconic music videos from the 1980s featuring artists like Michael Jackson, Van Halen, Fleetwood Mac, Sting, and Amy Grant.
In addition to his celebrated portfolio, Okun has delivered groundbreaking effects in award-winning films, including Stargate, Sphere, Red Planet, The Last Starfighter, the Oscar-nominated Hitchcock, and Aaron Sorkin’s Meet the Ricardos.
As chair of the Visual Effects Society board for seven years, he championed the global VFX community, fostering education and collaboration among artists, studios, and industry leaders. His leadership was instrumental in forming an international software anti-piracy alliance alongside the U.S. Government, and he has also served as first vice chair and treasurer for the VES. He founded the VES Awards program and show, establishing a lasting legacy within the industry.
As co-editor of the award-winning VES Handbook of Visual Effects and the comprehensive VES Handbook of Virtual Production, Okun has helped shape the standards and best practices of the field.
