Asif Sadiq: Last News

Following Paramount Global yesterday, Disney a few weeks ago and a rush of tech and other corporate backtracking on DEI, Warner Bros. Discovery said it is making a few changes to its policy including dropping references to diversity and equity.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Warner Bros. Discovery, amid a war on diversity, equity and inclusion programs by the Trump administration, is jettisoning the diversity and equity parts of its DEI initiatives. Going forward, WBD’s “overarching work in this space will now be referred to as Inclusion,” according to a memo sent to staffers Thursday.

EXCLUSIVE: Lisa Collins is Warner Bros. Discovery’s new Group Vice President, overseeing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion employee initiatives across North America. She will report to Chief DEI Officer Asif Sadiq.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Warner Bros. Discovery has appointed Lisa Collins as vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion, overseeing employee-initiatives across North America. She will report to chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer Asif Sadiq.

BreAnna Bell Karen Horne has exited her post as Senior V.P. of North America Diversity Equity and Inclusion for Warner Bros. Discovery as part of the company’s restructuring. A WBD memo from Chief Global DEI Officer Asif Sadiq to staffers, which Variety has obtained, revealed the news on Friday. Horne oversaw the DEI efforts for creative talent development pipeline programs, workforce, content and production while working closely with Sadiq to craft a global strategy for the company. She joined the company in March of 2020, and was responsible for creating and implementing multiple pipeline programs that aim to amplify the voices of underrepresented communities. Prior to her appointment, Horne was at NBC Entertainment and Universal Television Studios as Senior Vice President, Programming Talent Development and Inclusion where she was responsible for overseeing in-front-of and behind-the-camera primetime diversity efforts for NBC and Universal Television. While there, she started the Late-Night Writers Workshop in 2013.

Karen Horne, who led led Warner Bros. Discovery Diversity, Equity & Inclusion for North America, is leaving the company amid a raft of layoffs and major restructuring since the merger. Executive said Horne’s departure was not part of the broader staff retrenchment but a rethinking of the DEI division.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Warner Bros. Discovery’s decision to end its long-running writers and directors training program, which the conglom announced Tuesday as part of a series of layoffs and budget cuts at Warner Bros. TV Group, drew a strong rebuke from different parts of the industry, including a stinging statement on Wednesday by the Directors Guild of America. But what Warner Bros. Discovery hadn’t followed up to explain — and quickly revealed on Wednesday — is that its Writers Workshop and Directors Workshop will live on (albeit it, in a somewhat different form, details TBD) but now move from Warner Bros. Television and be housed inside the conglom’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion unit.

Warner Bros Discovery has revamped its group focused on diversity, equity and inclusion and announced its new executive team.