WarnerMedia EMEA announces leadership team for EMEA affiliate & ad sales function and for the Nordic, CEE, Middle East, Turkey & Africa Regions

Cristina Blanaru Business, Digital & Media, Marketing, Media

Pierre Branco, recently named to the dual roles of Head of WarnerMedia EMEA Affiliate & Ad Sales and Country Manager for WarnerMedia Nordic, CEE, Middle East, Turkey & Africa, today announced his leadership team, uniting a group of highly experienced executives in Jesper Steenberg, Matthias Heinze, Guillaume Coffin, Rita Akkari, Roni Patel and Johan Mannerhill.

The new leadership team brings together WarnerMedia Entertainment Networks (comprising the legacy Turner and HBO businesses) with Warner Bros. (Theatrical, Consumer Products, TV & Digital distribution, Home Entertainment) to ensure a one WarnerMedia approach in a diverse range of geographies; and delivers an integrated EMEA approach to distribution for both existing and future services.

  • Jesper Steenberg, who currently oversees the HBO distribution in Europe, will now lead the business development, digital distribution and trade marketing for WarnerMedia’s services in EMEA working closely with the local affiliate teams. He will also continue to oversee the Nordic affiliates business.
  • Matthias Heinze, who is currently responsible for the commercial operations for Turner in Germany and CEE, will now be responsible for the Affiliates and Ad Sales businesses in GAS and Central and Eastern Europe. He also becomes General Manager for WarnerMedia Poland with oversight on the Theatrical and Consumer Products businesses in the country.
  • Guillaume Coffin, who currently manages Affiliates and Ad Sales for France & Africa at Turner, will expand his remit to encompass Benelux, Greece, the Middle East and Turkey. He will also become General Manager for WarnerMedia in Turkey with oversight of the Theatrical business in the market.
  • Heinze and Coffin will also work closely with WarnerMedia’s France, Benelux & GAS Country Manager Iris Knobloch on those respective parts of their remit to ensure a fully coordinated approach.
  • Rita Akkari, who manages the distribution of WarnerMedia content to all players in Central, Eastern Europe and Russia, will now lead a newly formed TV & Digital Distribution group which also includes Home Video Digital Distribution for CEE and Russia.
  • Roni Patel will continue to lead the distribution of Warner Bros., Turner, HBO, and HBO Max content to TV, SVOD and AVOD players for Benelux, the Middle East and Nordic.
  • Johan Mannerhill will continue to lead WarnerMedia Home Entertainment’s business in the Nordics with responsibility for all physical & digital video and games distribution.

Pierre Branco commented:

“This exceptional group of executives will leverage our combined scale to tap into synergies through a single ‘one WarnerMedia’ lens and enrich the consumer offering across the full breadth of our brands, businesses and platforms. They will foster a more holistic approach to our ad sales and distribution strategies at the EMEA regional level, in close coordination with fellow Country Managers across EMEA, and working closely with the HBO Max team as we prepare for its arrival in due course in our markets. Their smart business acumen, commitment to new ways of thinking, and deep connection to our brands will be a huge asset as we move forward.”

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.