Viacom appoints int’l COO

The international arm of US media giant Viacom has appointed Jose Tolosa COO.

Tolosa replaces Pierluigi Gazzolo who shifted from COO to head of Latin America at Viacom International Media Networks last year.

The new COO takes up his new role with immediate effect, reporting to VIMN’s president and CEO, Bob Bakish, and will relocate from Miami to New York.

Viacom said that Tolosa will be focused on accelerating the company’s international growth strategy, including extending its pay TV footprint in key growth markets and increasing TV everywhere and digital efforts.

Bakish said: “Jose is one of the most strategic and forward-thinking executives I’ve worked with and is well-suited to assume the role of COO at this point in VIMN’s evolution.”

Tolosa was senior VP, strategy and business development at VIMN from 2009-2013 before being upped to executive VP, strategy, business development and operations.

Before joining the Latin American arm of VIMN (then MTV Networks International) in 2008, he was COO for HNMA Funding Company, a for-profit company with a social housing mission. Before that he worked at private equity firm Parthenon Group and Claxson Interactive Group.

In the US, Viacom has been restructuring various divisions, including MTV, Nickelodeon and TV Land. Its channels groups have been split into two factions, one under Doug Herzog and the other Cyma Zarghami.