SILVER SPRING, Md., Jan. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Discovery Communications today announced the appointment of Liz Claiborne and former General Electric/NBC Universal executive Andrew Warren to the position of Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Warren will join Discovery on March 26, 2012, and will be based at the company's global headquarters in Silver Spring, Md. Warren succeeds Brad Singer who previously announced that he is leaving Discovery at the end of March.
As part of a larger restructuring following the elimination of the Chief Operating Officer position as of December 31, 2011, the company also today announced a realignment of key corporate functions under several current senior executives, effective immediately:
- David Leavy has been promoted to the position of Chief Communications Officer and Senior Executive Vice President, Corporate Marketing and Affairs, reporting to President and CEO David Zaslav. In his new role, Leavy adds centralized marketing functions, including Corporate Research and Consumer Insights, Media Planning and Partnerships, Corporate Marketing, and Discovery Creative, the company's in-house creative services group, to his existing responsibilities for Global Communications and Corporate Affairs. The new organization will focus on further amplifying Discovery's messaging, promotion and research initiatives around the world.
- Bruce Campbell, Chief Development Officer and General Counsel, adds Business Affairs and Global Production Management to his portfolio, with Lee Bartlett, Executive Vice President, Global Production Management and Business Affairs reporting to him. Campbell retains his existing responsibilities leading global business development, strategic planning and mergers and acquisitions, and overseeing all legal affairs and litigation for the company. In his expanded role, Campbell will work with Bartlett to continue attracting top producers and on-air talent for Discovery's networks and increasing the company's presence in the creative television community.
- JB Perrette, Chief Digital Officer, adds oversight of Discovery's Enterprise Operational Services departmentto his role as leader of the company's digital strategy, including Discovery's U.S. websites (ex: Discovery.com, TLC.com, and HowStuffWorks.com, etc.), Interactive Technology and Digital Operations and Programming, as well as the company's digital distribution efforts with non-traditional affiliates (ex: Apple, Netflix, Amazon, etc.). Perrette also is responsible for Discovery Commerce, including Licensing, Home Entertainment and Footage and Music Services. The new structure aligns Discovery's digital assets, social media platforms and information technology services in a single organization to focus on opportunities presented by emerging technologies.
- Luis Silberwasser, Executive Vice President and Chief Content Officer for Discovery Networks International (DNI), adds U.S. network Velocity to his responsibilities, which also include leading DNI's production and development unit and overseeing the international rollout of TLC. Bob Scanlon, Senior Vice President of Velocity, now reports to Silberwasser. Together, they will leverage the international appeal of the men's lifestyle genre to develop content to drive Velocity and other men's lifestyle brands around the world.
"Having worked extensively with Andy at NBC Universal, I know firsthand what an effective and strategic leader he is, how knowledgeable and passionate he is about the media business, and what a great addition he will be to our already strong senior management team," said David Zaslav, President and CEO of Discovery Communications. "With Andy onboard, and with the strategic realignments we announced today, I am confident that Discovery is very well positioned to continue delivering on our strategy for sustainable long-term growth in the U.S. and around the world with a lean and efficient structure that best deploys our outstanding talent and resources."
As CFO, Warren will be responsible for leading the global financial functions and strategies of the company and will direct all accounting, treasury, budgeting and tax activities. In addition to serving on Discovery's executive committee and contributing to the overall strategic direction of the company, Warren also will oversee Discovery's Media Technology, Production & Operationsdivision, and will represent the company in its three U.S. joint ventures, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, The Hub and 3net. CSS Studios, Discovery's award-winning creative post-production sound services company, also will report to Warren.
Warren joins Discovery from Liz Claiborne, Inc., where, since 2007, he has been Chief Financial Officer responsible for all financial, accounting, audit, treasury, tax and investor relations activities. In 2008, Warren was promoted to Executive Vice President and his responsibilities expanded to include business development, information technologies, logistics, and special sales. In 2010, Warren was named to the Treasury & Risk list of the "100 Most Influential People in Finance."
Prior to joining Liz Claiborne, Warren spent 18 years at General Electric, where he held a number of positions, including Senior Operations Leader for the GE Audit Staff, where he led financial and process audits across GE's industrial and financial services businesses, and Executive Vice President and CFO of the NBC Universal Television Group, where he was responsible for all finance activities at the NBC Network, Studios, CNBC, MSNBC, USA, SciFi and Bravo. Warren holds a degree in Finance and Economics from James Madison University and began his career in the Financial Management Program at GE.
Discovery Communications was assisted in the search process by Howard Fischer Associates, International.
About Discovery Communications
Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is the world's #1 nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.5 billion cumulative subscribers in 210 countries and territories. Discovery is dedicated to satisfying curiosity through 142 worldwide television networks, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Science and Investigation Discovery, as well as U.S. joint venture networks OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, The Hub and 3net, the first 24-hour 3D network. Discovery also is a leading provider of educational products and services to schools and owns and operates a diversified portfolio of digital media services, including HowStuffWorks.com. For more information, please visit www.discoverycommunications.com.
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