Exclusive: WarnerMedia’s Cecilia Persson to depart amid EMEA kids rejig

Vanessa Brookman

WarnerMedia is rejigging its kids operations in EMEA ahead of the launch of streamer HBO Max, with Vanessa Brookman promoted and execs including Cecilia Persson among those leaving.

Brookman takes up the newly created role of head of kids EMEA immediately and reports into Priya Dogra, president of WarnerMedia EMEA & Asia (excluding China) and Tom Ascheim, president of global kids, young adults & classics.

Persson, who was most recently WarnerMedia’s VP of programming and content strategy for kids EMEA & international kids acquisitions and co-productions, is understood to be leaving, as is Lesley Bailey, VP of marketing, brand management and creative.

Brookman’s bigger remit

Brookman has been with WarnerMedia for nearly six years in senior content, brands, digital and creative roles, but will now work across the company’s portfolio. This includes the Cartoon Network brand, Boomerang, Boing and Cartoonito, as well as associated digital properties on third-party and on owned WarnerMedia streaming platforms.

She is tasked with creating content for kids and families, as well as “developing and executing regional EMEA initiatives across content, branding, programming, marketing compliance, PR and digital.”

Dogra said Brookman’s “proven track record across every aspect of the kids business” would “be invaluable to our strategies for the ongoing success of our existing channels whilst also shaping the HBO Max kids offering for the EMEA region.”

Cecilia Persson

She will work with HBO Max International chief Johannes Larcher and HBO Max EMEA chief Christina Sulebakk to help create a “powerful kids proposition” for the streaming service when it launches across EMEA next year.

WarnerMedia has been restructuring its operations around the world over the past year and earlier this week revealed a merged executive team for its operations in France, the Benelux and Germany under the recently appointed Iris Knobloch.

This latest rejig comes days after WarnerMedia confirmed it is expecting to roll new streamer HBO Max out in Europe in 2021 and a month since the recent rejig to its operations in the UK and Ireland.