Warner Bros. Discovery’s chief in Germany, Hannes Heyelmann, latest to exit

Hannes Heyelmann

Warner Bros. Discovery’s EVP in Germany, Hannes Heyelmann, is to exit the company later this year.

Heyelmann, who also led WBD in Switzerland and Austria, will stay in his role until the end of October with the search for a replacement underway.

His next move is not yet known but in a note to staff, Heyelmann said he would be “taking a break, spending more time with my family and deciding what I want to do next professionally.”

Heyelmann took up the role last year, working as one of six execs overseeing Europe under fellow Turner alum, Priya Dogra.

She announced her exit from WBD last month, while Antonio Ruiz – who had been named GM for UK and Ireland – has since been replaced by Andrew Georgiou.

Gerhard Zeiler

Dogra, who had been president & MD for EMEA, is not being replaced and will see her remit taken on  by WBD’s international president Gerhard Zeiler.

Two decade tenure

Heyelmann’s exit comes more than 20 years since he first joined Turner, rising to become SVP and MD for Central and Eastern Europe and leading the push into local scripted series on its pay TV stations in Germany.

He later became EVP of programming in EMEA for WarnerMedia in 2020 and stayed with the company when it was merged with Discovery, taking up his most recent role at WBD in June 2022.

Zeiler thanked Heyelmann “for his contribution and leadership in one of our most important, complex, and exciting regions, which as you know is close to my heart.”

Heyelmann added: “It has been a great privilege to be part of Warner Bros. Discovery for the past 22 years. I have many wonderful memories from the different roles I have held, starting in the corporate strategy team in the US, launching pay networks from scratch in Germany and pushing local productions, overseeing the EMEA network and streaming programming strategy and most recently as the GM for WBD in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.”