NEW YORK—Discovery, Inc. has announced the full slate of director designees for the combined company, Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. (WBD) that will be elected and begin serving on the WBD Board as soon as the merger of Discovery, Inc. and WarnerMedia closes early in the second quarter of 2022.
"I look forward to working alongside and benefiting from the collective experience of this group of distinguished leaders to create and grow the world's most dynamic media entertainment company and a top-tier competitor in streaming,” said David Zaslav, who will serve as president and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery when the merger is completed. “This Board brings diverse personal perspectives, strong track records and invaluable industry knowledge. Its stewardship will help establish the company as the premier creator of impactful storytelling across genres and platforms,"
The WBD Board will consist of 13 directors, with six designated by Discovery, Inc. and seven designated by AT&T Inc. The current AT&T board members being named to the WBD Board will step down from the AT&T board upon the closing of the combination.
The designees are:
- Samuel A. Di Piazza, Board Chair, Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. AT&T has designated Samuel A. Di Piazza, a current member of the AT&T board, as Board Chair for Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. Mr. Di Piazza is the former Global Chief Executive Officer of PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited.
- David Zaslav, President and Chief Executive Officer, Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. Upon closing, David Zaslav will serve as President and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. and will be a Discovery designee to the WBD Board. Mr. Zaslav has served as President and CEO of Discovery, Inc. since 2007.
- Robert R. Bennett, a Discovery, Inc. director since 2008, and Managing Director of Hilltop Investments, LLC, a private investment company.
- Li Haslett Chen, founder and CEO of Narrativ, a commerce and payments platform built for creators.
- Richard W. Fisher, former President and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas from 2005 until March 2015.
- Paul A. Gould, a Discovery, Inc. director since 2008, and Managing Director and Executive Vice President at Allen & Company Incorporated, an investment banking services company.
- Debra L. Lee, a current AT&T director, Chair of Leading Women Defined Foundation (a nonprofit education and advocacy organization in Los Angeles, California), and former Chair and Chief Executive Officer of BET Networks from 2006 until 2018.
- Dr. John C. Malone, a Discovery, Inc. director since 2008 and chairman of the boards of Liberty Media Corporation, Liberty Broadband Corporation and Liberty Global plc.
- Fazal Merchant, Senior Advisor to Sixth Street Partners and former Co-CEO of Tanium Inc., a subscription-based global cyber-security and IT management company.
- Steven A. Miron, a Discovery, Inc. director since 2008, and Chief Executive Officer of Advance/Newhouse Partnership, a privately-held media company, and a senior executive officer at Advance, a private, family-held business that owns and invests in a broad range of media and technology companies.
- Steven O. Newhouse, Co-President of Advance, a private, family-held business that owns and invests in companies across media, entertainment, technology, communications, education, mass participation sports and other promising growth sectors.
- Paula A. Price, former Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Macy's, Inc.
- Geoffrey Y. Yang, a current AT&T director and founding partner and Managing Director of Redpoint Ventures (a global private equity and venture capital firm based in Woodside, California).
