Warner Bros Discovery Merger: Who’s In, Who’s Out In The Executive Ranks
deadline.comThe final bow has been placed atop the $40 billion merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery, forming one of the largest pure content players in the media business.The AT&T spinoff maneuver formally closed late Friday, and Monday will see Warner Bros Discovery stock begin trading, under the ticker symbol “WBD.”Discovery CEO David Zaslav had been set as the new leader of Warner Bros Discovery since the time the deal was first proposed last May.
Questions swirled for months, though, about the leadership team he would put in place. Earlier this week, he wound up favoring Discovery brass across the board (something Deadline’s reporting had predicted a month ago).JB Perrette, who had been head of streaming and international for Discovery, was installed as CEO and president of global streaming and interactive entertainment.
Gunnar Wiedenfels, former CFO at Discovery and one of the architects of the merger, will hold the same title at the new company but with slightly expanded turf.
Other key promotions went to longtime exec Bruce Campbell, who became chief revenue and strategy officer; and Kathleen Finch, the former head of lifestyle brands who now oversees all linear networks.Other notable appointments at the new company included four more Discovery vets: Adria Alpert Romm, chief people and culture officer; David Leavy, chief corporate affairs officer; Lori Locke, chief accounting officer; and general counsel Savalle Sims.HBO chief Casey Bloys and Warner Bros film and TV bosses Toby Emmerich and Channing Dungey also were confirmed to be continuing on in the new structure, as was international chief Gerhard Zeiler.
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