Michael Brooks has been appointed General Manager for Australia and New Zealand at Warner Bros. Discovery. In addition to his existing role as Managing Director, Warner Bros. International Television Production (WBITVP) Australia, Brooks will assume the expanded role immediately, reporting to James Gibbons, President, Asia-Pacific, and Ronald Goes, President, WBITVP.
In the newly expanded position, the executive will oversee all non-theatrical businesses locally, comprising networks and streaming, content licensing and home entertainment, consumer products and games, as well as WBITVP Australia. WBITVP New Zealand remains within its current reporting structure into WBITVP HQ in London and is not part of Brooks’ extended remit.
“ANZ is a key market in the region with strong assets and clear opportunities for growth,” said Gibbons. “Michael is a seasoned leader with strong understanding of the local industry, and global expertise across several business verticals. Together with our local heads, I have every confidence that our ANZ business is set up to drive optimum value.”
Brooks, based in WBD’s Sydney office, has been with the company since 2016. Prior to this, he spent more than 10 years in the United States, including leadership positions at BBC Studios and Endemol Shine North America.
“It’s a time of immense opportunity as we continue to evolve with our rapidly changing industry,” stated Brooks. “We have fantastic initiatives on the horizon across all of our business units and the more closely we are aligned, the stronger we’ll perform. I’m excited to get stuck into this new role and work with the leadership team to leverage our world-class brands and drive growth, innovation and exceptional results for our audiences and partners.”
Juliet Peterson (VP, Head of Networks ANZ) and Andrew Bromell (VP, Consumer Products ANZ) will now report to Brooks, while retaining their respective positions. WBITVP New Zealand remains within its current reporting structure, reporting into WBITVP headquarters in London, and is not part of Brooks’ expanded remit.