Whit Richardson named President, Turner Latin America

Whit Richardson

Whit Richardson

February 13, 2017 – Joel Whitten “Whit” Richardson III has been promoted to President, Turner Latin America.  The announcement was made today by Gerhard Zeiler, President, Turner International.  A 23-year veteran of the company, Richardson most recently held the position of Executive Vice President of Distribution, Turner Latin America.  In his new position, he will report to Zeiler.

In his new role, Richardson has executive oversight of Turner’s regional portfolio of general entertainment, kids, sports and free-to-air brands; distribution and ad sales of those brands; the distribution of CNN’s services; and licensing and merchandising activity in Latin America.

Turner Latin America is Turner’s largest international division.  Turner Latin America’s portfolio was once again the highest rated (#1) pay TV offering in Latin America in 2016* and includes an unmatched array of demographics and genres.

“Whit is a highly respected executive inside and outside Turner. I am delighted that he accepted the offer to become the next President of Turner Latin America.  The company will benefit from his leadership skills and wealth of experience, especially as we navigate through a dramatically evolving media-business future demanding dynamic change,” said Zeiler. He continued: “His enduring successes in affiliate sales and marketing, in establishing our Argentina hub as a nationally-respected employer, his sharp mind, strategic approach and process-orientated management, make him the ideal choice to lead our business in Latin America; he has a clear vision of how we adapt the organization to truly become a next generation media provider.”

“I am excited for the opportunity to lead Turner Latin America, and grateful for the confidence of Gerhard and Turner’s executive management,” said Richardson.  “The industry is in a time of rapid change, and Turner is uniquely qualified to lead the transformation of the media business in Latin America.  We will prioritize collaboration, innovation and change as we move aggressively to position for continued growth and success.”

 

-ENDS-

 About Richardson

As Executive Vice President of Distribution, Richardson oversaw Turner Latin America’s pan-regional affiliate sales team, which is responsible for the company’s largest portfolio of networks in any region in the world.  He relocated to Atlanta in 2014 from Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he served as General Manager of Turner Argentina in addition to his distribution responsibilities.  As Argentina GM, Richardson was at the forefront of the company’s local expansion from 15 employees in 1998 to approximately 750 today.

Richardson played a key role in the division’s most significant equity transactions, including the acquisition and integration of Imagen Satelital and the acquisitions of Chilevisión, Esporte Interativo and CNN Chile.  He serves on the board of Imagen Satelital, and was on the supervisory board of CNN Chile up until the company fully acquired the channel in 2016.

Richardson joined Turner in 1994 as an Account Executive and was promoted in 1995 to Sales Manager for the Caribbean and Venezuela.  He went on to hold the posts of Director and Senior Director of Distribution for the Andean and Caribbean countries and cruise ships before moving to Buenos Aires in 1998.

Prior to Turner, Richardson worked in the capital markets division of Société Générale in Madrid, Spain.  He holds a master’s degree in international business studies from the University of South Carolina, Columbia and a bachelor’s in history from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Outside of Turner, Richardson currently sits on the boards of the Fulbright Commission in Argentina and Village Cinemas Argentina.  He was recently named “one of 2016’s 15 most influential media figures in Latin America” by the pan-regional trade magazine Prensario.

 

About Turner Latin America

Turner Latin America is a leading media company with significant operations across the region, including 54 channels in three languages in 44 countries. The division also handles pan-regional channel management and advertising sales for the Warner Channel. Turner Latin America’s key brands are organized into five content groups: Kids (Cartoon Network, Cartoon Network GO, Boomerang and Tooncast); General Entertainment (TNT, TNT GO, TNT Series, TNT Series GO, Space, Space GO, TCM, I.Sat, Warner Channel, TBS, HTV, MuchMusic, Glitz* and truTV); News (CNN International, CNN en Español, CNN Chile and HLN); Sports (Esporte Interativo, EI Maxx, EI Maxx 2 and EI Plus); and Broadcast (Chilevisión).

* SOURCE: KANTAR MEDIA IBOPE / 2016 / Pay TV P4+ including Guest Viewers / Total Day / Monday – Sunday / RAT%

 

Contacts:

Oliver Herrgesell, SVP Communications International, Turner

+1 404 827 4440 / +44 7984 551 379 / oliver.herrgesell@turner.com

 

Caroline Rittenberry, VP Communications, Turner Latin America

+1 404 827 1035 / +1 404 510 1035 / caroline.rittenberry@turner.com

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