Warner Bros names Ann Sarnoff as its first female CEO

BBC executive Ann Sarnoff was named CEO of American entertainment company Warner Bro. (WB) on Monday (local time). A female CEO is going to lead the company for the first time in its history since its foundation in 1923. Former WB CEO Kevin Tsujihara stepped down in March for allegedly having a sexual relationship with an actress after promising her to offer her acting roles in films.

After studying at Georgetown University and Harvard Business School, Sarnoff has gained experience overseeing strategy and program sales as head of BBC America and BBC Worldwide. It has been recognized that she played a key role in increasing the number of subscribers for BBC, for example, by helping Doctor Who merchandise reach over 100 million U.S. dollars (approx. 120 billion won) at retail.

Some say AT&T, AT&T, which owns Warner Bros, has hired Sarnoff, a Hollywood outsider, as the new chair and CEO of WB in order to target the ever-growing streaming market. AT&T’s WarnerMedia announced its plans to launch a streaming service next year.


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