CNN Worldwide Alum Tapped for Discovery’s Motor Trend Group

Alex Wellen has been named to the post of president and general manager of Discovery’s Motor Trend Group.

Wellen will step into his new role on July 1. He will oversee all aspects of Motor Trend Group’s overall strategic direction and the global growth of the business, including the Motor Trend app and digital platforms, Motor Trend Buyer’s Guide, Motor Trend Network, (coming in fall 2018), related Motor Trend Group digital owned and operated sites, and Motor Trend’s live event and media agency businesses. Wellen will be responsible for all functions of the business such as product, content, marketing and operations.

Bob Scanlon, the president and general manager of Motor Trend Network and automotive content for Motor Trend Group, will report to Wellen. Wellen joins Discovery following 12 years with CNN Worldwide, having most recently served as global chief product officer.

“Alex is a tremendous talent, with the world-class digital expertise we need to drive our global ambitions for Motor Trend Group,” said Mike Lang, the president of international development and CEO of Motor Trend. “Motor Trend exemplifies Discovery’s goal for scaling our digital businesses, by super-serving passionate auto enthusiasts with the content they crave on all screens, as well as providing advertisers access to an unparalleled cross-platform audience segment. I look forward to working with Alex to take Motor Trend to its next level of success.”

Steven Tananbaum, founding partner and chief investment officer of GoldenTree Asset Management, Discovery’s joint venture partner in Motor Trend Group, commented, “We are very excited about having Alex join the Motor Trend team. His deep media expertise will be invaluable to helping us achieve our goal of accelerating Motor Trend’s growth and further establishing it as the premier content platform for auto enthusiasts.”

“If you’re in the business of creating fan-based brands, I cannot think of a more personal category than automotive, a more iconic global brand than Motor Trend, or a more gifted team than the talent I’ve met at Discovery and Motor Trend Group,” added Wellen. “I am proud to take on this incredible role and to help reimagine how Motor Trend connects with advertisers, distributors and automotive fans.”