Warner Bros. Discovery Names Chief Global DE&I Officer

Warner Bros. Discovery has tapped Asif Sadiq as chief global diversity, equity and inclusion officer.

Sadiq will lead the company’s DE&I strategy and global team, expanding on successful initiatives from both legacy Discovery, Inc. and legacy WarnerMedia. He will jointly report to David Zaslav, CEO, and Adria Alpert Romm, chief people and culture officer.

Previously, Sadiq served as the head of diversity, equity and inclusion for international at WarnerMedia and was a key architect of many of the WarnerMedia DE&I internal and content-focused initiatives on which WBD plans to build. Earlier, Sadiq held senior diversity positions at Adidas, The Telegraph Media Group, EY Financial Services and the City of London Police.

Sadiq will chair WBD’s new Business Diversity Council, a senior advisory board comprised of global leaders from the company’s sports, games, technology, revenue and corporate groups. The Council will assist in developing and instituting enterprise-wide diversity programs for employees across businesses.

“Having diversity of thought, ideas and experiences is so critical to the success of any business, especially a creative company like Warner Bros. Discovery,” said Zaslav. “We want our employees to be able to thrive as their authentic selves, while using the power of storytelling to not only entertain audiences around the world, but also open minds and inspire action. And I can think of no better leader than Asif to ensure that we champion the most thoughtful and impactful diversity, equity and inclusion program. He brings an impressive track record of success at WarnerMedia and beyond, and his vast experience internationally makes him the ideal candidate to build and lead a truly global team and impactful DE&I strategy.”

“I am so proud of the work we began at WarnerMedia and am thrilled to join David, Adria and Warner Bros. Discovery to accelerate the diversity mission I believe in so strongly,” said Sadiq. “Companies that get DE&I right are more successful and have deeper relationships with their employees, consumers and partners. In other words, this isn’t just the right thing to do, it also makes smart business sense and presents a great opportunity. I look forward to making a measurable and sustained impact with employees, on the screen, in our communities, and for our business.”