Andrew Georgiou is departing the newly formed Skydance, joining a wave of senior executives leaving as JB Perrette lays out his international leadership plan. Georgiou will step away from Skydance to take on the CEO role at CVC-backed Global Sports Group.
After the $110 billion merger that created today’s Skydance, the company’s international organization has now largely been finalized. Georgiou — who previously ran Warner Bros. Discovery’s operations in the UK and Ireland and oversaw European sports before serving as Skydance’s interim President for Europe and Africa — will not continue with Skydance long-term.
In an internal message to staff on Thursday, Perrette explained that Georgiou “will be taking on a new role outside the company next year,” adding that Georgiou has offered to assist with the transition and help while a successor is found.
Georgiou’s position as President of Europe and Africa will be filled as part of Perrette’s framework of four regional chiefs who will run Skydance’s combined TV and streaming activities overseas. Those regional heads join APAC & MENA chief James Gibbons, Poland lead Kasia Kieli, and the LatAm/US Hispanic chief Fernando Medin — the latter three retain their current duties. Georgiou had succeeded Antonio Ruiz in 2023 and played a key role in initiatives such as launching TNT Sports.
Leading the newly organized Europe & Africa operations will be Alessandro Araimo, MD Southern Europe, who will oversee Italy, Spain, France and will now take on Turkey and Africa; Qaisar Rafique, EVP Commercial Development, who will handle distribution and business development across Europe and provide supervision for Central and Eastern Europe (other than Poland); Reemah Sakaan, President 5 and MD UK & I, who will run the company’s entertainment business in the UK and Ireland, including her ongoing leadership of Channel 5 (now branded 5); and Christina Sulebakk, MD Nordics, Benelux, GSA, who will continue to lead the Nordics together with Germany, Austria, Switzerland (GSA) and Benelux.
Several well-known executives from the former Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery teams are among those leaving the combined company, including Dan Barnes, Michael Bishara, Jamie Cooke, Domenic DiMeglio, Marco Nobili, Pank Patel and Juan Sola. Perrette’s full memo follows further below.
As reported by Deadline, Channing Dungey has assumed leadership of Warner Bros. International TV Production — the group that oversees roughly 20 production companies worldwide that produce localized versions of formats like The Bachelor. That organization has been moved under Skydance TV Studios, and its head Ronald Goes will now report to Dungey, according to Perrette. Goes had earlier reported to WBD’s international chief Gerhard Zeiler. Zeiler and Paramount’s former international leader Kevin MacLellan were both thought to be contenders for significant roles in the new Skydance international set-up, but both have departed; in his farewell message Zeiler reflected emotionally that “sometimes, I know, we simply asked too much.”
Since the merger closed earlier this month, the industry has been watching how Perrette would distribute responsibilities beyond the U.S. Perrette retains overall authority for international operations, while David Decker is responsible for content sales. Bryon Rubin, who briefly oversaw Skydance’s international free-to-air networks, has moved into a broader COO role within George Cheeks’ TV organization.
Perrette — who is Co-Chair and Chief Business Officer for Skydance’s TV and direct-to-consumer divisions — emerged as one of the primary beneficiaries of the $110 billion deal. In his message to staff he outlined his strategic vision for integrating global DTC and TV businesses.
Team,
As David and Ynon noted earlier this month, my responsibilities intentionally span both our streaming (DTC) and television businesses. Viewer habits and the market continue to change rapidly, and there’s far more overlap between these two areas than ever before. We must push each business forward aggressively, while also seeking the strategic and financial benefits that come from aligning them — and be willing to make fast, data-informed trade-offs when necessary, always prioritizing what’s best for Skydance as a whole rather than for any single unit, country or individual agenda.
To achieve this, some leaders will focus primarily on TV, others on DTC, and many will carry responsibilities across both. Our structure will combine deep local and regional expertise with global scale and capabilities — and success depends on turning this setup into a collaborative network rather than a burdensome matrix. The emphasis should be on working together to win, not on who deserves the credit. We have a unique collection of DTC and TV assets that, if better coordinated, can engage billions of consumers worldwide while driving cash, profits and revenue growth for the company.
These transitions are difficult because we must say goodbye to talented leaders who contributed greatly to the legacy companies, and who have been valued colleagues and mentors. I want to thank Dan Barnes, Michael Bishara, Jamie Cooke, Domenic DiMeglio, Marco Nobili, Pank Patel and Juan Sola for what they’ve done to get us here. Their contributions were central to the success of our DTC and TV businesses and I’m deeply grateful. Please join me in wishing them the best.
Below is the new leadership team effective today. We moved thoughtfully but under a compressed timeline; there will be further refinements, especially within sub-teams that need to be realigned to this structure. Thank you for your patience and for working with us to refine things in the coming weeks. Joining the previously announced Jay Askanasi (Advertising), Ray Hopkins (Distribution), and David Decker (Content Sales), the following leaders will help drive our global strategy:
GLOBAL
Jeff Cusson — EVP and Head of Communications, Skydance DTC: Jeff will lead communications for our streaming services, with shared reporting to me, Casey and Mel Zukerman. International comms teams will report directly to him while maintaining dotted-line ties to their country GMs/MDs and remaining part of local leadership teams.
Shauna Spenley — CMO, Global DTC and International TV: Shauna’s remit expands to encompass marketing for International TV, partnering with me and George Cheeks. All streaming and TV marketing teams internationally will report into her organization, with local marketing teams (especially in larger free-to-air markets) keeping dotted-line relationships to their country leaders. She’ll also coordinate with Rebecca Mall, CMO, Skydance. Juan Sola’s, Domenic DiMeglio’s and other marketing-focused resources will move into her group.
Trey Turner — COO, International: In addition to finance responsibilities, Trey will be COO of International and report to me to help manage and transform our vast international portfolio. Pank Patel’s strategy team and several other resources will join Trey’s organization.
Josh Walker — COO, DTC: Josh will serve in a dual capacity — as COO, DTC reporting to me and supporting Casey, and as CFO, DTC reporting into Dennis Cinelli. He’ll oversee business strategy, planning, content strategy and acquisitions, pricing, podcasting and program management. Rodrigo Mazon and the bulk of Michael Bishara’s team will move under Josh.
Liz Wright — CFO, Skydance TV Segment: Liz becomes CFO for the TV segment, heading finance for CBS and our global television networks. She will partner with George and me and report to Dennis Cinelli.
Head of Pluto/AVOD: Pluto is a major business that needs dedicated leadership. We’ll run an internal and external search for a head of Pluto/AVOD. The team that will report into this role includes Olivier Jollet, Will Gurman and Kevin Kroll; in the interim they will report to Josh and me.
REGIONAL/LOCAL
Internationally, we will have four regional leaders reporting to me who will drive our combined TV and streaming efforts. They will oversee distribution, ad sales and commercial development across networks and streaming, and coordinate TV programming in-market, working closely with global functional teams and with Jay Askanasi (Advertising), Ray Hopkins (Distribution) and David Berson (Sports).
Skydance’s new regional leadership model will centralize TV and DTC oversight.
These regional leaders are:
Andrew Georgiou — interim President & MD Europe & Africa: Andrew will be taking a new role outside the company next year and has agreed to help with the transition while we search for his successor. Moving into this team will be:
Several senior executives, including Andrew Georgiou, are departing after the merger.
Alessandro Araimo, MD Southern Europe — responsible for Italy, Spain, France, and now adding Turkey and Africa.
Qaisar Rafique, EVP Commercial Development — responsible for all distribution and business development across Europe, and oversight for Central & Eastern Europe (ex Poland).
Reemah Sakaan, President 5 & MD UK & I — will lead the UK and Ireland entertainment business, including Channel 5.
Christina Sulebakk, MD Nordics, Benelux, GSA — will continue leading the Nordics, Germany/Austria/Switzerland and Benelux.
James Gibbons — President & MD APAC & MENA: James will run Asia Pacific and the Middle East & North Africa, with Beverley McGarvey, Jason Monteiro and Shonali Bedi reporting into his team.
Kasia Kieli — President & MD, Poland: Given the scale and scope of our operations in Poland — covering entertainment, news, sports, digital and studios — Kasia will continue to operate Poland as a tightly integrated media organization.
Fernando Medin — President & MD LATAM/US Hispanic: Fernando will oversee Latin America and the U.S. Hispanic market, with Adam Waltuch reporting into his team.
Some additional personnel notes: Leah Hooper, Regional Streaming Lead for Europe (reporting to me), is returning from maternity leave in January; Ronald Goes will move into Skydance TV Studios under Channing; and Efrain Miron is leaving the DTC organization to pursue other opportunities within the company. Efrain’s prior leadership has created a solid foundation that will continue to serve the business.
I recognize this process creates questions and, at times, anxiety. We will continue to work through these changes as quickly and respectfully as possible. Please join me in congratulating the new leadership team — I’m excited to get started. The leaders named here will begin organizing their teams immediately. We’ll keep sharing updates as things evolve and appreciate your patience and support during this phase.
Daniel Hayes is a business journalist with a focus on market trends, startups, and corporate strategies.
His sharp analysis and investigative reports make complex financial topics accessible to all readers.
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