Incoming Warner Bros. Entertainment CEO Ann Sarnoff will sit for a series of introductory meetings on the Warner Bros. lot next week, individuals familiar with the company told Variety.
On Monday and Tuesday, Sarnoff will greet heads of numerous divisions like television and film, said the insiders. Though the former BBC executive does not take her office until late August, the meetings will offer precursory face time. A larger address, like a company-wide town hall, is not on the books but likely when she starts.
Following a three-month search to replace ousted CEO Kevin Tsujihara, morale is up on the Burbank, Calif. lot. as employees feel less anxious and more refocused on work, numerous other people familiar with the company said. The early meetings fall in line with her previously stated initial priorities: getting to know her colleagues and better understanding the company’s disparate businesses.
Sarnoff, who was previously at the WNBA, Dow Jones and Viacom before the BBC was recruited for the job through the standard headhunting process. She had no prior connection to WarnerMedia CEO John Stankey or other leadership. Warner Bros., with its more than 8,000 worldwide employees, is the largest organization that Sarnoff has headed.
At her announcement, she said she’s been lucky in her career to work “with great brands and businesses with a lot of upside,” including Warner Bros.
“I think it’s going to be really exciting to work on source content for different generations as their tastes are changing and the way they consume content is changing,” Sarnoff said at the time.
Brent Lang contributed to this report.