A+E Networks EMEA Names Central Leadership Team

A+E Networks EMEA has appointed its central management team, including Adrian Pilkington, who is set to serve as senior VP of commercial and digital.

The team will drive strategy and operations alongside A+E Networks EMEA teams based in London, Munich, Rome, Madrid, Warsaw and Johannesburg. The team is drawn from A+E Networks UK and will report directly to Dean Possenniskie, managing director for A+E Networks Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Pilkington will have responsibility for all revenue lines and commercial activities, including distribution, ad sales and sponsorships. The role will focus on continued innovation of pay-TV brands and building new digital partnerships. Pilkington continues as general manager for Northern Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Heather Jones continues in her role as senior VP of content and creative for EMEA, overseeing the strategy and execution of the programming, marketing, creative, communications and research functions for the EMEA region. In addition, Jones continues as general manager for the U.K. and serves as chairperson of COBA UK.

Mark Neil, senior VP of finance for EMEA, will consolidate and lead financial management for the region.

Karl Burnett, VP of HR for EMEA, will be responsible for leading the people strategy for the group which includes creating and nurturing a clear vision, with diverse talent working within a high-performance culture.

Matt Westrup, VP of technology and operations, will lead on technology deployment, distribution and post-production, with linear and digital partners, and manage leading transformational change projects.

Possenniskie commented: “There is great potential for this new central team; they will work closely with our experienced general managers and their talented teams to leverage A+E Networks EMEA’s combined scale and quality to continue to deliver growth in the changing media landscape.”