The new executive team will report to future Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav.
Discovery Inc. has announced the future executive leadership team for Warner Bros. Discovery Inc., ahead of the close of the company’s transaction to combine its non-fiction and international entertainment and sports businesses with WarnerMedia’s entertainment, sports and news assets.
The new leadership team is said to draw on a diverse set of management from both organisations, providing continuity and creating a flatter organisational structure to drive creativity, accountability and collaboration.
David Zaslav, the future CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, said: “We are so excited to bring the heritage and legacies of these two great companies together by creating Warner Bros. Discovery, and I am proud that our new executive management team blends world-class leaders from both organizations as we take our first step toward one single cohesive, collaborative culture. Today’s announcement combines a strong team of professional managers in a simpler organizational structure, with fewer layers, more accountability and a singular strategic focus as a global pure-play content company. I look forward to rolling up my sleeves with this team so that, together, we can write this next exciting chapter. These accomplished leaders will create a place where creatives, talent and all of our people in every corner of the globe can do their best work and inspire audiences everywhere with the magic, joy and wonder of world-class storytelling, news and sports.”
The new executive team will report to future Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav. Among the key positions, Adria Alpert Romm will serve as chief people and culture officer, having held the same role at Discovery, Inc while Casey Bloys continues as chief content officer of HBO and HBO Max. Bruce Campbell will assume the new role of chief revenue and strategy officer, with responsibility for US advertising sales, distribution revenue and content licensing; global corporate development and strategy; global streaming platform agreements; and the company’s legal affairs.
Channing Dungey continues as chairman of Warner Bros. Television Group and Toby Emmerich continues as chairman, Warner Bros. Pictures Group, with responsibility for Warner Bros. Pictures, New Line Cinema, DC-based films and Warner Bros. Feature Animation.
Kathleen Finch will assume a newly created role of chairman and chief content officer, US Networks Group, a new, consolidated organisation comprising the company’s more than 40 US Networks. Nancy Daniels, Chief Content Officer, Discovery Factual Networks, will report to Finch, as will Brett Weitz, General Manager, TBS, TNT and truTV, and Tom Ascheim, president, Warner Bros. Global Kids, Young Adults and Classics, on the network side of his responsibilities. Finch will retain oversight for the Discovery Lifestyle Networks.
Chris Licht will serve as chairman and CEO of CNN Global and Discovery CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels will continue in his role, adding oversight of global enterprise technical operations, as well as real estate and facilities. Also continuing on from the Discovery side are Lori Locke as chief accounting officer, reporting to Wiedenfels, and David Leavy as chief corporate affairs officer, overseeing key business functions and groups.
International channels for Warner Bros. Discovery will be headed up by Gerhard Zeiler, president of WarnerMedia International, who along with Bloys, Emmerich and Dungey is one of the key holdovers from the old regime that existed under AT&T ownership. Zeiler will add responsibility for Discovery’s significant international footprint. With respect to direct-to-consumer and international content distribution strategy, Zeiler and his team will have a dotted line to Perrette.
JB Perrette, formerly President and CEO, Discovery Streaming and International, will assume the role of CEO and President, Warner Bros. Discovery Global Streaming and Interactive Entertainment, with responsibility for HBO Max and discovery+, as well as all direct-to-consumer and gaming around the world. David Haddad, President of Warner Bros. Games will report to Perrette.
Savalle Sims will continue as General Counsel, a position she held at Discovery, reporting to Campbell.
The company will name a new Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer at a later date. The role will report jointly to the CEO, and Chief People and Culture Officer. The company is also actively searching to fill the role of Chair and CEO for Warner Bros. Discovery Sports, reporting to the CEO. Lenny Daniels, President, Turner Sports and Patrick Crumb, President, Regional Sports Networks, will report into this position.
