Big news from Warner Bros! After the ouster of Kevin Tsujihara the future of Warner Bros. was up in the air, but according to Hollywood Reporter, Warner has a new CEO!
For the first time in its history, Warner Bros. will have a female CEO.
John Stankey, CEO of parent company WarnerMedia, has found his replacement for ousted Warner Bros. chief Kevin Tsujihara, tapping BBC executive Ann Sarnoff for the role. She will be based in Los Angeles and begin the job later this summer.
The news comes after the company was headed toward the end of its third month searching for a leader who could usher the historic film and TV studio into a new era under AT&T ownership. With Sarnoff, who was president, BBC Studios Americas, Stankey finds a leader with the operational chops to woo the telecom giant’s Dallas-based top brass.
Sarnoff joined BBC Worldwide in 2010 after having served as president of Dow Jones Ventures. The executive previously served as the COO of the WNBA, overseeing business operations for the league. Earlier in her career, she worked at Viacom from 1993-2003, where she held multiple titles, including COO of VH1 and CMT.
With her appointment, Stankey also adds some much-needed X chromosomes to his executive bench, a must after he drew flak for stacking his ranks with men, including Bob Greenblatt, Jeff Zucker, Kevin Reilly and Casey Bloys. It was not lost on observers that, at the time of his exit, Tsujihara was the only diverse senior content-focused leader at the company.
“I am delighted Ann is joining the WarnerMedia team and excited to work side by side with such a talented and accomplished individual. She brings a consistent and proven track record of innovation, creativity and business results to lead an incredibly successful studio to its next chapter of growth,” Stankey said Monday in a statement.
He added, “Ann has shown the ability to innovate and grow revenues and has embraced the evolution taking place in our industry. I am confident she will be a great cultural fit for WarnerMedia and that our employees will embrace her leadership, enthusiasm and passion for our business.”
It’s way to early to know what this means for the future of DC, but welcome aboard Ann Sarnoff!
