WBD’s James Gibbons reveals APAC exec team with Japan country manager to step down

James Gibbons

Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD)’s Asia Pacific president James Gibbons has outlined his team for the region, with Japan’s country manager and head of studio Masami Takahashi set to step down.

Gibbons was appointed to oversee all of APAC earlier this month, following Clement Schwebig’s move to lead WBD in much of Western Europe and Africa.

Magdalene Ew (Source: WBD)

His new-look team is structured around combined market and functional remits.

Key execs reporting to Gibbons include:

• Tony Qiu – GM for Greater China & Southeast Asia, based in Singapore
• Arjun Nohwar – GM, South Asia, based in Mumbai
• Magdalene Ew – Head of content for streaming, based in Singapore
• Lynn Ng – Head of content & networks, based in Singapore
• Shonali Bedi – Head of strategy, partnerships & insights, based in Singapore
• Jae Chang – Head of content licensing for Southeast Asia, India & Korea, based in Singapore

Takahashi, who is currently general manager in Japan, as well as head of studio in the country, will be retiring at the end of March with a replacement currently being sought.

A swathe of other execs will continue in their roles including APAC marketing chief Daniel Tan, head of theatrical distribution Kurt Rieder and Jason Monteiro, who joined from Shahid in 2022 and continues as APAC lead for streaming.

The changes come less than 18 months since Gibbons and Schwebig restructured their APAC team in the immediate aftermath of the WarnerMedia and Discovery merger.

Gibbons said: “Culturally, demographically, and economically, APAC is the most diverse region, with more than half of the world’s population and a mix of developed and emerging markets.

“There are significant growth opportunities here, and I have every confidence that this leadership and our talented teams have the expertise, skills and ambition to drive optimum value across our globally renowned portfolio.”