Warner Media announces new UK & Ireland team
MUMBAI: Polly Cochrane, Warner Media's new country manager for the UK and Ireland, has unveiled her leadership team. The company also announced that John Stanley, who helmed Warner Bros’ home entertainment operation in UK, Ireland, Spain and Nordics, has decided to exit after a tenure of 14 years.
Stanley will step down from his responsibilities at the end of November, but stay on until the end of June on a series of transition projects.
The new team brings together a group of seasoned executives in Alison Morris, Neil Marshall, Rachel Wakley, Alex Lewis, Allan Stenhouse and Charlie Cubbon. “I am excited to bring together such an outstanding group of executives, each of whom is testament to the great talent we have within the company,” said Cochrane. “As we integrate the commercial and group marketing activities of our Warner Bros businesses and our entertainment networks, we will benefit from their passion for our product, astute thinking, and proven desire to push new boundaries.”
Alison Morris, who currently oversees the distribution of Warner Bros, Turner, HBO, and HBO Max content, will now lead a newly formed TV and digital distribution group which also includes home video digital distribution. She will also integrate Turner affiliate & ad sales into this combined team, working closely with respective leaders Riccardo Donato and Andrew Mallandaine.
Meanwhile, Neil Marshall will continue to lead theatrical film distribution, and now also takes on local film production, supported by Patrick Strafford. In addition to this, he will assume oversight for all operations in Ireland.
Rachel Wakley, who currently oversees consumer products & experiences, will expand her remit to encompass physical video and physical & digital games sales, bringing the company’s entire physical business across all retail and e-commerce channels under her purview.
Alex Lewis will continue to lead film & games marketing. Lewis recently added digital & data strategy and media & brand partnerships as well as games to her remit and will now oversee the marketing of film catalogue in addition to her existing responsibilities for new release film.
Allan Stenhouse will continue to lead TV Marketing, having recently taken on Turner and HBO Home Video marketing and TV distribution support in addition to the Warner Bros content he continues to manage.
Lewis and Stenhouse will continue to jointly oversee creative services and franchise management for the UK & Ireland.
Meanwhile, Charlie Cubbon will lead on commercial development for the UK and Ireland region, and will also oversee a newly formed central commercial planning team as well as the long-term strategy on games. He will continue to oversee supply chain.