Discovery Communications said Tuesday that it has hired ProSiebenSat.1 CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels as its next CFO.
His appointment will be effective on or about April 1. He will succeed Andrew Warren, who previously announced his plans to depart Discovery. Warren has agreed to extend his contract term to ensure a smooth transition.
Wiedenfels will report to David Zaslav, president and CEO of Discovery Communications. And he will move from Munich to New York.
“As Discovery continues our rapid growth and diversification in new content and digital platforms around the world, Gunnar is the ideal choice to lead our global finance strategy and organization,” said Zaslav. “Gunnar’s international expertise aligns perfectly with our future growth profile, and he brings to Discovery an exceptional reputation in the capital markets, strong industry expertise and a strategic focus to help unlock the value of our investments. He will be a terrific addition to our management team, and I look forward to working with him to continue to drive Discovery’s global business.”
Wiedenfels will join Discovery following seven years in management roles at ProSiebenSat.1. Prior to his CFO role, he served as deputy CFO from 2014 to 2015 and chief group controller from 2013 to 2015.
As CFO, “he is credited with leading the outperformance of analyst expectations and the European broadcasting peer group,” Discovery said. Since 2012, ProSiebenSat.1 has tripled its revenue from its digital and “adjacent” activities.
Before his time at ProSieben, Wiedenfels worked as a management consultant and engagement manager at McKinsey & Company.
