Asif Sadiq
Warner Bros. Discovery announced the leadership team for its company’s newly structured Diversity, Equity and Inclusion group, headed by Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, Asif Sadiq, with Karen Horne serving as SVP for North America; Rukasana Bhaijee as VP in Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA); Niarchos Pabalis as Director for Latin America, and a new role for Asia-Pacific (APAC) to be announced soon. All four executives will report to Asif.
The group will build on the strong foundation of both legacy companies, with established workforce programs and content/production initiatives continuing under a central strategy team designed to drive long-term change both locally and worldwide. Overseeing these units will be Christian Hug, VP of Workforce; Grace Moss, VP of Pipeline Programs; and Yvette Urbina, VP of Content/Productions. These teams will work closely with the previously announced Creative and Business Councils, which will be led by WBD senior leaders. Additionally, the global DEI team will collaborate and partner with Johnita Due, who leads Diversity for CNN in her role as EVP Integration and Inclusion; Sheereen Russell in her role as SVP for Ad Sales and Inclusive Monetization; and Monica Neal in her role leading DEI Communications and Marketing.
“A strong focus on diversity, equity and inclusion is a top priority for our company, and we are committed to doing everything we can to get this right — not only because it makes good business sense, but because it allows us to build stronger connections with employees, partners and consumers. I am thrilled to announce that we have put in place an incredibly talented and experienced global team, and are in the process of building and implementing a strategy that will enable us to have a positive, lasting impact locally, regionally and beyond,” said Asif Sadiq, Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer at Warner Bros. Discovery.
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In other company moves, Warner Bros. Discovery’s Norwegian Chief, Espen Skoland, is stepping down following the recent reorganization in the Nordics. Skoland, who oversaw Discovery’s operations in Norway prior to the merger with WarnerMedia, had a remit across channels such as TVNorge, as well as leading on communications in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
At the same time, Marc Graboff is stepping down from his role as President of Global Business and Legal Affairs at Warner Bros. Discovery, after almost eight years at the company. Graboff, who joined pre-merger Discovery in 2015, served as a senior member of CEO David Zaslav’s executive team, and will exit the firm at the end of the year, after assisting with the transition to the combined WBD.