Gary Barber Out at MGM

March 20, 2018 Kristin Brzoznowski Top Stories

MGM’s board of directors has begun the search for a new CEO to replace Gary Barber, who is exiting the company after eight years.

The company’s board of directors has initiated a CEO transition and has temporarily formed an “office of the CEO” to oversee day-to-day operations during this period. The office of the CEO will report directly to the board and include a group of divisional heads and senior executives. It will have the active support of the board of directors, including Ann Mather, formerly of Pixar, Paramount Pictures and Disney; Fredric Reynolds, formerly of CBS and Viacom; Nancy Tellem, formerly of Microsoft/Xbox Studios and CBS; David Krane, CEO of Google Ventures; and James Dondero, CEO of Highland Capital Management.

“Over the past eight years, MGM has successfully built a world-class company and talented team,” said Kevin Ulrich, chairman of the board of directors. “With this transformation complete, MGM is uniquely positioned for exceptional future growth in the evolving entertainment landscape. Now is the right time to enable the next generation of leadership who can help drive the creativity, collaboration and partnership needed to continue the company’s positive trajectory. Looking forward, we are committed to empowering our team to take charge, innovate and execute on the promising opportunities in front of MGM.”

Ulrich continued, “On behalf of MGM’s board of directors, I would like to thank Gary for his contributions and for leading MGM with the highest integrity over the last eight years. Gary has played a key role in the development and execution of our strategic plan, which laid an important foundation for MGM.”

Barber joined MGM in December 2010 and had recently extended his contract through December 2022.