Nov 18 2019 NEW YORK, NY, November 18, 2019 -- CBS (NYSE: CBS.A, CBS) and Viacom (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA) today announced additional senior appointments for ViacomCBS' corporate leadership. These appointments, which will be effective upon closing, will align key functions and operations to support ViacomCBS' divisions and lines of business as the combined company pursues its differentiated growth strategy.
Our team of highly accomplished corporate leaders will draw on their deep experience and expertise to help drive ViacomCBS' success, said Bob Bakish, President and Chief Executive Officer, Viacom, who will serve as President and Chief Executive Officer of ViacomCBS upon close. They will identify strategic opportunities to grow and transform our businesses and ensure that we are fostering a dynamic, inclusive culture where our employees are empowered to succeed.
Bakish continued, With today's appointments, we now have in place the entire senior management team for ViacomCBS, ensuring we will hit the ground running when the transaction closes in just a few weeks. Working together, these leaders will help us realize the full potential of our considerable assets and competitive strengths.
The ViacomCBS corporate leaders being announced today include:
Alex Berkett, Senior Vice President, Corporate Development & Strategy, Viacom, will become Executive Vice President, Corporate Development and Strategy, leading ViacomCBS' efforts to identify, pursue and execute strategic growth opportunities, including acquisitions, partnerships, investments and joint ventures, across all of ViacomCBS' businesses and geographies.
Nancy Phillips will serve as Executive Vice President, Chief People Officer. As the leader of ViacomCBS' global human resources organization, she will be responsible for driving the company's human resources strategy and delivering global programs to create a positive employee experience and a culture of high performance. In this role, she will have oversight of the company's HR business partners, talent acquisition, organizational effectiveness, learning and development, total rewards, people analytics and HR operations. She will also oversee global security. Phillips joins the company from Nielsen, where she served as Chief Human Resources Officer.
Marva Smalls, Executive Vice President, Global Head of Inclusion Strategy, Viacom, will serve as Executive Vice President, Global Head of Inclusion of ViacomCBS, driving initiatives and fostering partnerships that promote and advance diversity and inclusion for ViacomCBS enterprise-wide both with internal and external stakeholders globally. In addition, she will retain her public affairs responsibilities for Nickelodeon as Executive Vice President, Public Affairs, Kids & Family Entertainment Brands, ViacomCBS Media Networks.
Jose Tolosa, Chief Transformation Officer of Viacom, will expand his responsibilities as Executive Vice President, Chief Transformation Officer. In this role, he will continue to oversee integration efforts for the combined company, with a focus on accelerating the evolution of its businesses. Tolosa will also lead ViacomCBS Strategic Planning, helping to set the company's strategic priorities and support cross-company projects for senior management. Additionally, he will oversee the Global Business Services and Global Sourcing divisions, which will expand their scope, providing enterprise-wide services and helping drive synergies.
These corporate leadership announcements follow the previously announced appointments of Christa D'Alimonte as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary; Anthony DiClemente as Executive Vice President, Investor Relations; DeDe Lea as Executive Vice President, Global Public Policy and Government Relations; Julia Phelps as Executive Vice President, Chief Communications and Corporate Marketing Officer, and Christina Spade as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer.
The merger of Viacom and CBS remains subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close by early December.
Biographies
Alex Berkett joined Viacom in August 2015 and most recently served as Senior Vice President of Corporate Development and Strategy, leading the company's global activities related to strategy, corporate development and mergers and acquisitions. In this role, he worked closely with senior executives across the company to advise on and lead transaction negotiations. Prior to joining Viacom, Berkett served as Co-Founder and Executive Vice President of Townsquare Media where he was responsible for corporate development, mergers and acquisitions, all capital raising activities, legal affairs, investor relations, business development and corporate communications. Berkett co-founded Townsquare in 2010 with his partners from FiveWire Media, an investment firm he co-founded. In 2009, he joined FiveWire from J.P. Morgan's Technology, Media & Telecom Investment Banking Group, which he joined following the firm's acquisition of Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc. in 2008. Berkett spent 11 years at Bear Stearns, principally focused on media and technology mergers and acquisitions, ultimately rising to the level of Managing Director.
Nancy Phillips has served as the Executive Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer at Nielsen since 2017, while also serving on the Nielsen Foundation's Board of Directors. Under her leadership, Nielsen was recognized for many awards including #2 on Forbes' Employers for Diversity list and multiple Great Place to Work awards globally. Prior to joining Nielsen, she was Chief Human Resources Officer of Broadcom prior to its sale to Avago Technologies, the largest technology deal in history at that time. Before that, she led the HR organization for Hewlett Packard's Imaging and Printing Gro
