Discovery Grows International Digital Team, Taps Former Spotify Exec

Discovery Communications has bolstered its international digital media team with several senior executive appointments and new roles.

Digital music executive Francis Keeling is joining Discovery from Spotify as the senior VP of international digital. Jay Trinidad, who is currently running Discovery Northern Asia, is taking on the additional role of managing director of digital ventures. In addition, Eugene Huang was appointed as the senior VP of product and technology. All three posts report directly to Michael Lang, the president of international development and digital.

Keeling, who was most recently the global head of licensing at Spotify, will be responsible for creating new partnerships and business opportunities for Discovery to bring its content to consumers across every screen and service, including taking an active role in Discovery’s OTT initiatives. Keeling will help develop and launch new digital products. He will be based in London.

In his new role, Trinidad will focus on expanding Discovery’s brands and entertainment business into digital growth areas globally. He will report into Lang for his new digital role, while continuing to report to Arthur Bastings, the president and managing director of Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific, with respect to his ongoing Northern Asia responsibilities. Prior to Discovery, Trinidad spent a decade at Google.

Huang joins Discovery to develop its international products and services across multiple platforms. Huang comes to Discovery from American Express, where he was the VP of strategy and planning. He will be based in London.

Lang commented: “Francis is an outstanding digital executive who helped transform the music industry when its business model was disrupted by technological change. He also comes to us from Spotify, a company we respect tremendously, with a proven track record of serving digital consumer needs. We’re all excited that Francis is bringing these experiences and strong digital and consumer insights to Discovery.

“Eugene brings exceptional tech leadership to our business, which will be incredibly valuable as we develop some significant OTT initiatives across Europe. In partnership with the digital, creative and local leaders across our global organization, this senior team will help drive the digital agenda as we accelerate the pace of investment and transformation for Discovery. Being able to attract world-class digital executives like Francis, Jay and Eugene into our business says a lot about our ambition as well as the opportunity they see for Discovery’s content and brands across the world as digital product offerings.”