WarnerMedia names UK & Ireland leadership team
November 17, 2020
Polly Cochrane, recently named as Country Manager for WarnerMedia UK & Ireland, has announced her leadership team, bringing together a team of seasoned executives in Alison Morris, Neil Marshall, Rachel Wakley, Alex Lewis, Allan Stenhouse and Charlie Cubbon.
The appointments follow John Stanley’s decision to leave the company next year after 14 years at the helm of Warner Bros’ home entertainment operation in UK, Ireland, Spain and Nordics. He will step down from his day-to-day management responsibilities at the end of this month and will stay on until the end of June 2021 on a series of transition projects.
Morris, who currently oversees the distribution of Warner Bros, Turner, HBO, and HBO Max content, will now lead a newly formed TV & 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.
Marshall will continue to lead Theatrical Film Distribution, and now also takes on Local Film Production, supported by Patrick Strafford, as well as assuming oversight for all operations in Ireland.
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.
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.
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.
Cubbon will lead on Commercial Development for the UK & 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.
Cochrane commented: “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. 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. We are sad to see John leave WarnerMedia after so many years of exceptional service but are pleased and grateful he has agreed to stay on until the end of June next year to help us transition our home video integration efforts.”