Warner Bros. Discovery reveals new international leadership

Amid widespread executive turnover, Warner Bros. Discovery’s international head Gerhard Zeiler today sent a memo to staff outlining the company’s new global leadership structure.

Following the departure of Pierre Blanco as France manager earlier this week, WBD has appointed Clement Schwewig as manager of France, Benelux, Africa, Allemagne, Haute Riche and Switzerland. Meanwhile, James Gibbons will now be responsible for Asia and the Western Pacific, which will be combined into a single APAC region. As part of the shuffle, Schwevig and Gibbons will essentially be given more coverage by covering more areas.

Latin America and Poland will continue to be led by Fernando Medin and Kasia Chili respectively. The rest of the structure remains unchanged.

Blanco is the fourth WBD executive to leave in recent months, alongside EMEA head Priya Dogra, Germany head Hannes Heilmann and former head of international television distribution Robert Blair.

Zeiler acknowledged in the note that the group is “experiencing difficult macroeconomic conditions coupled with accelerating trends in industry transformation.”

“This is not an easy situation for any company, including ours, to navigate through,” Seiler continued. He added that the company is poised for growth thanks to a “well-defined strategy, the intellectual property we own, and the content we produce.”

Blanco was appointed as France national team coach a year ago. Previously, he served as WarnerMedia’s Country Manager for France, Benelux, Middle East and Africa, and Head of Affiliates and Advertising Sales for EMEA. A person close to the company said it was Blanco’s decision to exit the banner.

The combined Discovery+ and HBO Max platform is expected to launch in several European regions in 2024. Zeiler is scheduled to give the first keynote address at his Mipcom TV conference in Cannes on October 13th, and more details about the development will likely emerge.