Donna Langley and Matt Strauss have revised their leadership teams and organizational structures for the NBCU Entertainment & Studios and Media Groups, respectively.
Following the recent announcement of the SpinCo leadership team, there’s a newly formed Universal Television Entertainment Group, which will be led by Frances Berwick, Pearlena Igbokwe, Liz Jenkins and Jenny Storms.
Berwick assumes the role of chairman for Bravo and Peacock unscripted, where she will continue to oversee first-run syndication and unscripted programming across Bravo and Peacock, including documentaries, true crime and tentpoles such as Emmy winner The Traitors and Love Island.
Igbokwe has been named chairman of television studios for NBC Entertainment and Peacock scripted. In this role, Igbokwe will continue to lead Universal Studio Group, overseeing the library of television series from Universal Television, UCP, Universal International Studios and Universal Television Alternative Studio.
As chief business officer, Jenkins will now oversee content strategy, TV acquisitions, strategy and business operations across the entertainment and studio groups. Jenkins will shepherd process around TV and streaming greenlight and identify emerging opportunities to drive growth. She will also partner closely with Strauss and his teams to provide “connective tissue” with the media group, organizing efforts across the functional operating teams to ensure alignment and enhance collaboration.
Storms becomes chief marketing officer for NBCUniversal Television & Streaming and will lead the brand strategy, integrated marketing, media and consumer engagement for all entertainment content and sports, including content and brand marketing for Peacock.
The current entertainment and studios HQ team will be working closely with this new television entertainment leadership team to align functional areas in the coming weeks. This senior leadership team includes Jimmy Horowitz, chairman of business affairs and operations; Pete Levinsohn, chairman of global distribution; Lissa Freed, head of people and culture; Evan Langweiler, executive VP of global communications; Chris Miller, general counsel; and Adam Moysey, CFO.
“The formation of this group is a testament to the incredible talent we have here at NBCUniversal,” said Langley, chairman of NBCUniversal Entertainment & Studios. “With our shared vision and combined expertise, we are poised to lead our dynamic industry in creativity and innovation and seize growth opportunities for our business while delighting audiences across all platforms.”
The leadership team under Strauss, chairman of NBCUniversal Media Group, includes Mark Marshall as chairman of global advertising and partnerships.
Shannon Willett will take a new business role as chief commercial officer of the media group, leading day-to-day strategy and execution for Peacock, driving subscriber growth and competitive positioning, plus cross-business initiatives for the media group and Peacock.
Matt Schnaars is taking an elevated role as president of platform distribution and partnerships. He is leading a new organization that brings together content distribution, affiliate relations and strategic partnerships across NBC, Peacock, Bravo, Telemundo and various FAST channels.
Rick Cordella will continue as president of NBC Sports.
Ken Bettsteller will continue as president of international networks and DTC.
Earl Marshall is taking an expanded role as CFO and executive VP of strategy for NBCU Media Group.
Jim Denney will continue in his current role with a title change to chief product officer for global streaming and NBCU Media Group.
Patrick Miceli will continue in his current role with a title change to chief technology officer for global streaming and NBCU Media Group.
Will Gonzalez will continue as chief data officer for NBCU Media Group, leading data and insights for media brands and stakeholders across the portfolio.
Courtney Rowe joins as executive VP of corporate and NBCU Media Group communications, reporting to Strauss and Jen Friedman. Rowe will expand her current NBCU corporate communications role to also lead strategic communications for the media group internally and externally.
Andra Shapiro will continue as general counsel for NBCU Media Group.
Joanne O’Brien will step into the role of head of NBCU Media Group HR.
Brian Henderson and the Peacock programming team will move into entertainment and studios.
“As we look forward, I want to recognize several leaders who have driven our portfolio success and Peacock’s momentum,” Strauss said. “Matt Bond has been a remarkable leader at Comcast NBCUniversal for more than two decades, contributing billions in revenue. His expertise, relationships and signature wit have been a gift to our teams; we look forward to working with him in his advisor capacity and wish him the best of luck on his retirement. Kelly Campbell has been a champion for our Peacock brand and values over the past three years, and we’re grateful for her contributions to our streaming journey. Annie Luo has been instrumental to our Peacock growth agenda, and her spirit and strategic leadership will be greatly missed as she moves onto opportunities outside of the media group. As part of the restructure, we redefined the media group communications role and relocated the position to New York; Allison Rawlings, who has been a trusted strategic communications partner across our television business, will work with Courtney as well as the NBCU Entertainment & Studios team on the transition. Christy Shibata has done an exceptional job driving our finance function forward and will now partner with Mark Lazarus and Anand Kini to support a successful transition to SpinCo.”
