WarnerMedia, the media and entertainment arm of CNN parent company AT&T, said Thursday that it is creating a new role: chief diversity and inclusion officer.
The announcement came in an internal memo by WarnerMedia chief John Stankey, who said the role will help “transform our culture to one of even greater inclusion and belonging.” The individual will report directly to Stankey, who said the role will be added to his leadership team “in the coming weeks.”
WarnerMedia’s all-male executive team had drawn some internal scrutiny in recent weeks; Stankey was asked about it at a company town hall where an all-male leadership team appeared on stage to address the company’s restructuring.
The newly structured company continues to take shape after AT&T’s takeover of Time Warner cleared the final regulatory hurdle.
In his memo on Thursday, Stankey said the chief diversity and inclusion officer will “help ensure our business encourages and values diverse perspectives, supports the unique voices of the talent we work with, and is reflected in the world-class content we create.”
“This isn’t just something that’s nice to do, it is essential to our future success,” he said.
