Uday Shankar will become Chairman of Star and Disney India and president of The Walt Disney Company Asia Pacific.
Following the successful completion of the Fox acquisition, The Walt Disney Company has announced the new international leadership team that will be formed under Kevin Mayer.
According to the new leadership structure, Rebecca Campbell will oversee EMEA, Diego Lerner will be running Latin America and Uday Shankar has been awarded with the task of heading Asia Pacific operation, while global sales and distribution will fall under Janice Marinelli.
Kevin Mayer, Chairman of The Walt Disney Company’s direct-to-consumer and international segment, commented, “The planned restructuring of our business units outside of the U.S. will result in a stronger, more agile organization, one that is better able to pivot and capitalize on the many opportunities present in today’s fast-changing and increasingly complex global marketplace. Once the acquisition is complete, all three regions will be led by exceptional, highly experienced executives who will combine the ‘best of the best’ talent from both organizations. This new structure and the outstanding leadership team we’ve put in place are clear demonstrations of our strong commitment to integrating operations and thoughtfully executing our strategic priorities around the globe.”
Uday Shankar, who currently serves as president of 21st Century Fox, Asia, and Chairman and CEO of Star India, will become Chairman of Star and Disney India and president of The Walt Disney Company Asia Pacific. Marinelli will be named president of global content sales and distribution.
Campbell, who currently serves as president of The Walt Disney Company EMEA, will maintain oversight of this region and adds responsibility for Russia and CIS. Lerner, now president of LatAm at Disney, will retain leadership for the region.
All four – Shankar, Lerner, Campbell and Marinelli will report to Mayer.
The EMEA leadership team under Campbell will include Jan Koeppen as president, television and direct to consumer, EMEA; and Marina Jigalova-Ozkan, managing director for Russia and CIS. Under Lerner will be Carlos Martinez as executive VP and general manager, media networks, North and Brazil. The Asia team will include Luke Kang for Greater China, Japan and Korea; Kylie Watson-Wheeler for Australia and New Zealand and Chafic Najia for the Middle East.
The M&A deal, one of the largest transactions in global Media and Entertainment sector, between Disney and 21st Century Fox has received formal approval from shareholders of both companies, and Disney and 21st Century Fox have entered into a consent decree with the US Department of Justice that allows the acquisition to proceed, while requiring the sale of the Fox Sports Regional Networks.
