Jan Koeppen, who is currently Disney’s president of television and direct-to-consumer for Europe and Africa, has been promoted to the role of president of The Walt Disney Company Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA).
Koeppen will replace Rebecca Campbell, who was recently named president of Disneyland Resort for the Disney Parks, Experiences and Products segment. Based in London, Koeppen begins his expanded role Nov. 11 and will report to Kevin Mayer, chairman of direct-to-consumer and international for Disney, whose streaming service, Disney Plus, launches around that time.
Koeppen will be responsible for Disney’s direct-to-consumer activity across the EMEA region, along with its core networks, media distribution and motion picture businesses, and other operations (excluding Disneyland Paris). He has oversight of a team scattered among offices in 25 countries and will work closely with the consumer products team, the company said.
Koeppen joined Disney earlier this year following Disney’s acquisition of Fox, where he had been president of Fox Networks Group for Europe and Africa. Over the past six months, he has been in charge of Disney’s TV brands in Europe and Africa, which comprise the Disney channels, ESPN, Fox, National Geographic and BabyTV. He has also been in charge of direct-to-consumer, media distribution and other activities in these regions.
Koeppen was born in Germany, raised in Brussels and, prior to Fox, worked in London for the Boston Consulting Group.
“Jan is an enterprising leader who in the past year has made a positive impact on our EMEA media business,” Mayer said in a statement. “His passion, coupled with his keen understanding of the EMEA marketplace, will enable him to further advance our growth as we look to start rolling out Disney Plus throughout the region in the year ahead.”
Koeppen said: “These are exciting times for entertainment businesses in EMEA, and I think that our exceptionally strong teams, brands, IP, technology and creative approach position us better than anyone else to harness the opportunities in front of us.”
Under Koeppen’s leadership, Disney EMEA will continue to leverage its integrated structure to continue to drive growth, innovation and brand affinity across “this extremely diverse collection of countries,” the statement said.
It noted that, while Disney’s business has flourished in numerous markets across Europe for more than 80 years, it is only just starting to establish itself as a household name in some countries across Africa, Eastern Europe and the Middle East, where the EMEA team oversees Disney’s theatrical distribution, which in some cases is handled externally through licensing agreements.