Spain’s Mediapro restructures with Laura Fernández Espeso set to replace Juan Ruiz de Gauna

Laura Fernández Espeso

Spanish giant Mediapro is restructuring its business and senior exec structure, with Laura Fernández Espeso set to replace outgoing general manager Juan Ruiz de Gauna.

De Gauna will step down in January next year and be replaced by Fernández Espeso, who is currently CEO of The Head producer The Mediapro Studio.

At the same time, José Luis Rubio will be replaced as director of broadcast media services by Alberto Vía, who is currently CEO of Mediapro’s broadcast distribution firm Overon.

De Gauna and Rubio will maintain their links with the company, although it is unclear how.

The move comes three months after Mediapro made the shock move to dismiss its managing partner Jaume Roures from the company he founded more than 30 years ago, following shareholder pressure.

The Head

Mediapro, which has been behind shows ranging from The New Pope to The Paradise and Locked Up, is now led solely by Tatxo Benet, who retains his position of president and CEO.

How Mediapro’s new structure will operate

Two new divisions are also being created, with a channels & platforms unit to be led by Daniel Margalef, and the Mediapro Experiences division being helmed by David Xirau.

Channels & platforms will house all activities related to the planning, production and distribution of channels and platforms, as well as advertising and expansion into streaming.

Mediapro Experiences will explore the potential of experiential formats, ranging from brand activations to virtual and immersive events and experiences.

Mediapro said the overhaul is designed to “consolidate and reinforce” its ability to provide operating divisions with “considerable autonomy and decision-making ability”.

Mediapro’s Sports Rights Agency continues to be led by Oliver Seibert, while its innovation unit is helmed by Mari Carmen Fernández Tallón.

Locked Up

Benet said the restructuring “will reinforce and refresh the group’s leadership in the audiovisual industry”, adding that the new management team “not only represent a generational change, but are evidence of Grupo Mediapro’s commitment to its in-house talent.”

Fernández Espeso’s new role caps two decades in the business, following stints at Globomedia including head of international TV development. She took charge of Mediapro’s international content strategy in 2015 and has been CEO of The Mediapro Studio since 2020.

Mediapro employs more than 7,000 people and operates across TV production and distribution in almost 60 countries.

Its output, aside from drama, includes unscripted shows such as Crush and Zapeando, as well as movies like A Perfect Day and Camino. The company is also heavily involved in sports, signing a new deal with Spanish football’s La Liga last year.

The company’s majority shareholder is Southwind Group, a Hong Kong-based investment firm that owns around 85% of the Spanish firm.

Southwind increased its stake in Mediapro 18 months ago after agreeing to refinance debt for the Spanish firm, following a squeeze blamed on the pandemic.

Reuters then reported at the start of October 2023 that Southwind was looking to sell its interest in the company, which also counts UK-based ad firm WPP – along with Benet – among its main investors.