Read Hernan Lopez’s Letter to FIC Employees

NEW YORK: Hernan Lopez has penned a letter about his decision to leave the CEO post at FOX International Channels (FIC) and start a new venture.

Dear friends and colleagues,

The last 18 years at Fox have been amazing. The future should be even brighter—both for you and me.

The only difference is that I am joining the ranks of the thousands of “alumni” of FOX International Channels. That’s right, I am leaving. And while this is obviously a bittersweet moment, I am really excited about the future: both my own, and yours.

Those of you who connect with me frequently know that over the last two years, I have spent a lot of time studying the intersection between tech and media, the startup world and the space I call the “Personal Screen.” I have found an exciting opportunity that ticks all of those boxes—and am launching a new venture to bring it to market. It will be announced very shortly.

I am also excited about your future because, following my departure, Fox Networks Group will reorganize the international business so that Latin America, Europe and Africa and Asia Pacific sit alongside the U.S. It is a logical and forward-looking move, followed already by many companies outside of media. I am very proud that Carlos Martinez, Jan Koeppen and Zubin Gandevia have created structures that are mature enough to fulfill that role.

While it’s human nature to hope to be missed, on the business side I know you will continue to thrive without skipping a beat. And on the personal side, we will continue to be in touch. Hundreds of you are among my Facebook friends, and you can always reach me by email or (finally) LinkedIn.

I will be forever grateful to many people that crawled, walked, and ran with me along the way. First and foremost, to the several thousands of FIC employees and “alumni” in over 60 cities all around the world. I am most grateful to all of you—for your hard work, for your friendship, for your advice, for the passion that you put into this business. Passion that is so evident when you walk into any of your offices, when you watch any of your channels, when you use the FoxPlay app, when you watch the FIC Flicks videos. When you talk to your competitors, to your clients, to your viewers, to your users.

Among them, Carlos Martinez and Marcela Martin deserve a shout-out, especially because I have worked with them since we were a $35m revenue business. Thank you Sharon Tal, Liz Dolan, Zubin Gandevia, Edgar Spielmann, Diego Londono, Jan Koeppen, Ward Platt, Christian Barcellos, Hamish Mykura and Simon Thomas—you are incredibly talented. I also want to thank Peter Rice, as well as my former bosses and mentors, David Haslingden, Chase Carey, Peter Chernin, Tony Vinciquerra and David Hill.

At Fox, I’ve been fortunate to sit alongside some of the best and most talented people in all of media, and at the risk of forgetting some, I wanted to single out John Landgraf, Rita Tuzon, Dana Walden, Gary Newman, Jim Gianopulos, Courteney Monroe, Eric Shanks, Brian Sullivan, Gary Knell, Declan Moore, Marion Edwards, Robert Thomson, Julie Henderson and Scott Grogin; and, of course, Rupert, James and Lachlan Murdoch—who are on a category of their own. Thank you all.

If I can give you any advice: Never stop innovating. Continue to put creativity at the center. Remember Brand, Content and User Experience. And always strive to be “The Best. First.”

—Hernan