Comcast has unveiled the expected members of the first board of directors of Versant Media Group from the worlds of media, tech and finance including NBCUniversal’s Mark Lazarus, who will lead the new company, and Rebecca Campbell, former chair of International Content and Operations at Disney.
As previously announced, David Novak, a longstanding board member of Comcast and former CEO of Yum! Brands, will serve as chairman.
Publicly traded Versant will include USA Network, CNBC, MSNBC, Oxygen, E!, SYFY and Golf Channel, along with complementary digital assets Fandango, Rotten Tomatoes, GolfNow and SportsEngine. The spinoff should be completed by year end.
Lazarus was most recently chairman of NBCUniversal Media Group, overseing the company’s TV and Streaming platforms, distribution and monetization before being named to leave Versant.. He previously served as chairman of NBCUniversal Television and Streaming as well as chairman of NBCUniversal Broadcast, Entertainment and Lifestyle Group, Sports and News.
Campbell, who spent over two decades at Disney, serving as president of Disneyland Resort, president of Disney — EMEA based in London and president, ABC Owned Television Stations. She also ran ABC National Television sales and ABC Daytime. She is a former board member of Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) and currently Interim CEO and on the board of Meow Wolf, an arts and entertainment company known for its immersive multimedia experiences and large-scale interactive art installations.
Other directors include Creighton Condon, Of Counsel at global law firm A&O Shearman. He previously served as Shearman & Sterling’s Senior Partner, European Managing Partner and Global Mergers and Acquisitions Practice Group Leader. He advises clients on mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and joint ventures and counsels boards of directors and special committees on governance matters, change of control transactions, shareholder activism and complex structural issues.
Michael Conwayis the former CEO of Starbucks North America. Previously, he worked at Johnson & Johnson as worldwide President of McNeil Nutritional, and at Campbell Soup Company as Vice President for the Adult Simple Meals Division. He is on the board of McCormick.
David Eun is a founding advisor to Kanza AI, a generative AI company focused on health, wellness and medicine. He is also co-founder of investment firm Alakai Group, He previously served as president and Chief Innovation Officer of Samsung Electronics, where he founded Samsung NEXT, an innovation group focused on startup investments, M&A and new business creation. He began his career at NBC and later held senior leadership roles at Google, YouTube and Time Warner. He serves on the Board of Directors of Howard Hughes Holdings.
Gerald L. Hassellis is the former chairman and CEO of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation. During his career at BNY, Mr. Hassell had direct management responsibility for the company’s broad range of banking and investment services businesses, including asset servicing and issuer, broker-dealer, treasury and clearing services, as well as operations and technology. He is a former director of Comcast and MetLife.
Scott Mahoneyis chairman and CEO of Peter Millar. Prior to acquiring the golf apparel company in partnership with Sea Island Company, he worked at Polo Ralph Lauren in brand development. He is also on the board of Fleet Feet.
Maritza Montielis the former Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Vice Chairman of Deloitte & Touche LLP’s U.S. Business. She previously led the firm’s U.S. regions and was tasked with managing the design and implementation of Deloitte University, the firm’s leadership development center and the largest single investment in the firm’s history. She serves on the boards of McCormick and Royal Caribbean Group and is a former director of Comcast.
Len Potter founded and serves as president and chief investment officer of investment adviser Wildcat Capital Management. He is also a founder and senior managing director of Vida Ventures, a biotech venture fund. He has served or continues to serve on a number of boards including Hilton Grand Vacations, SLR Investment Corp. and SuRo Capital.
“I am pleased to welcome this accomplished forward-looking team to our future Board of Directors,” Novak said. “Their collective expertise and perspectives will strengthen our governance and support Versant’s future success.”
“The announcement of the future Board marks a critical milestone as we define our long-term strategy and advance the value of our iconic media portfolio,” said Lazarus. “I look forward to collaborating with this distinguished group as we establish a leading independent media company.”
