WarnerMedia EMEA appoints Polly Cochrane to executive leadership team as Country Manager for WarnerMedia UK & Ireland

Cristina Blanaru Business, Digital & Media, Leadership / Mentorship, Marketing, Media, People, Women in Business

Priya Dogra, recently announced as head of WarnerMedia EMEA & Asia (excl. China), made a key new appointment to her executive team. Polly Cochrane has been promoted to Country Manager for WarnerMedia UK and Ireland, overseeing all commercial and group marketing activities in the region and will report directly to Dogra. Cochrane has been with WarnerMedia for 11 years and most recently served as Executive Vice President and Group Marketing Director, Warner Bros. UK and Ireland, and Chief Marketing Officer, Harry Potter Global Franchise Development.

Priya Dogra commented:

“I’m delighted to welcome Polly to my leadership team. Polly brings a strong and inclusive leadership style, combined with a proven innovative approach to driving our beloved brands and franchises. As she takes on this broader set of responsibilities, our business will benefit from her wealth of experience in the UK media sector. I’m looking forward to tapping into the fresh thinking she will bring to the table.”

The appointment follows the announcement that Josh Berger will step down in December after over 30 years in senior leadership roles at the company.

As a Country Manager, Cochrane is responsible for the development and execution of WarnerMedia’s strategy in the UK and Ireland and will coordinate and optimise all commercial and group marketing activities in the region. This will include theatrical distribution, content licensing, home entertainment, consumer products, as well as ad sales and affiliate distribution for the WarnerMedia channels. She will work closely with functional leaders in the US and across Europe.

Cochrane’s colleagues on the WarnerMedia EMEA leadership team include recently promoted fellow country managers Iris Knobloch (France, Benelux, Germany, Austria and Switzerland), BarbaraSalabè (Italy) and Pierre Branco (CEE, Nordics, the Middle East, Turkey and Africa) who is also head of affiliate and ad sales for EMEA.

Complementing the country manager structure are additional executive leadership colleagues, recently promoted heads of functions Hannes Heyelmann and Antony Root, who respectively lead the general entertainment programming and original production remits.  Rounding out the team, Pedro Cosa continues to lead data and insights for networks; and Lesley Bailey and Cecilia Persson continue their leadership of the central EMEA kids and young adults team, with a dual report to Dogra and Tom Ascheim, President of kids, young adults and classics for WarnerMedia.

The reorganisation follows the announcement in August that WarnerMedia was bringing the international operations of Warner Bros., HBO and Turner under one leadership for the first time, with Gerhard Zeiler, to whom Dogra reports, named as head of WarnerMedia International.

Polly Cochrane most recently served as Executive Vice President and Group Marketing Director, Warner Bros. UK and Ireland, and Chief Marketing Officer, Harry Potter Global Franchise Development, where she was tasked with evolving Warner Bros. UK’s marketing operation, while also serving as lead on global brand marketing strategy and guidelines for HPGFD. Throughout her tenure at Warner Bros., Cochrane has overseen the development of a best-in-class, integrated marketing function within Warner Bros. UK, spanning films, TV shows, video games and licensed products, delivering lifecycle marketing campaigns for the company’s world-class properties. Cochrane joined Warner Bros. in April 2009 as Vice President and Group Marketing Director, Warner Bros. UK. She was previously Director of Marketing at Channel 4, where – during her 11 year tenure – she was responsible for the broadcaster’s award-winning on and off-air marketing, including a new brand identity for Channel 4 and the successful launches of More4, Film4 free to air, Channel 4+1 and 4oD. Prior to that, Cochrane was Head of Advertising and Promotions for the launch of Channel 5.

WarnerMedia is a leading media and entertainment company that creates and distributes premium and popular content from a diverse array of talented storytellers and journalists to global audiences through its consumer brands including: HBO, HBO Max, Warner Bros., TNT, TBS, truTV, CNN, DC Entertainment, New Line, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Turner Classic Movies and others. The organization also includes Xandr’s suite of advanced advertising solutions designed to help to improve advertising for brands, publishers, and consumers.