Warner Bros. Discovery Global Brands and Experiences Reveals New Team
A new global leadership team has been established for Warner Bros. Discovery Global Brands and Experiences’ consumer products business, formalizing the integration between the two legacy divisions: Warner Bros. Consumer Products and Discovery Consumer Products.
GBE encompasses the Global Consumer Products and Themed Entertainment businesses and the company’s franchise development and brand management, including “Harry Potter” and DC.
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The newly combined global consumer products division will extend the company’s portfolio of brands and franchises from Warner Bros.’ film, TV, animation and games studios, HBO, Discovery, DC, Cartoon Network, HGTV, Eurosport, Adult Swim, among others, into the lives of fans around the globe and will complement the Global Brands and Experience’s Franchise Development’s efforts to maximize long-term consumer engagement with the company’s major franchises.
The changes were revealed by Pam Lifford, president of Warner Bros. Discovery Global brands, Franchises and Experiences, to whom the leaders report.
“The team of best-in-class leaders brings years of experience in their respective areas and the realignment will result in a strong focus on our key growth areas, will further maximize our global relationships, streamline communication with global partners operating, and most importantly — bring brand new, integrated and dynamic ways to engage fans around the world with our characters and stories.”
Under Lifford, the new global commercial team includes Julian Moon, head of EMEA Consumer Products, will also head APAC Consumer Products. He is based in London and has extensive experience maximizing the potential of key brands and franchises to create best-in-class products and programs with licensees, retailers and partners.
Robert Oberschelp will now head North America Consumer Products. He will continue to oversee global brand product, franchise management and marketing. His newly combined team now supports all of North America, including a retail-facing category team that consists of Carolann Dunn, a veteran of Discovery Consumer Products, who now leads a new category role for the region overseeing home, food, health and beauty; Jessica Elliot will assume a new role leading fashion, footwear and accessories, broadening her previous role in brand product, and Catherine Bachmaier, who will continue to lead toys and licensed publishing.
In addition, Preston Lewis will continue as head of LATAM Consumer Products, and will also lead retail strategy and major retailer relationships for all of The Americas, partnering with Overschelp in North America. Further, Samantha Bushy will transition fullti me to head of global e-commerce, bringing her digital experience to build out the robust direct-to-consumer e-commerce experience worldwide. She was previously with Apple, where she was head of e-commerce, global marketplaces, WW Digital Channel.
Peter van Roden will continue to lead Global Themed Entertainment, which deals in the creation, development and licensing of location-based entertainment, live events, exhibits and theme park experiences based on the biggest franchises, stories and characters from Warner Bros.’ film, TV, animation and games studios, HBO, Discovery, DC, Cartoon Network and others. The legacy-Discovery experiences group will now be part of this group.
