NBCUNIVERSAL PROMOTES SALIL MEHTA TO NEWLY CREATED POSITION OF COO/CFO, NBCUNIVERSAL ENTERTAINMENT & DIGITAL NETWORKS AND INTEGRATED MEDIA DIVISION
NEW YORK, April 19, 2011 - NBCUniversal announced today the promotion of Salil Mehta to the newly created position of Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of NBCUniversal's Entertainment & Digital Networks and Integrated Media division (E&DN/IM). For the past three years, Mehta has served as President, Business Operations, Strategy and Development for NBCUniversal, where he was responsible for the company's strategic agenda, business development, and digital initiatives. He also was a key player in NBCUniversal's integration with Comcast.
"Salil spent nearly a year leading the integration efforts between NBCUniversal and Comcast, so I had the chance to work with him closely," said Steve Burke, NBCUniversal Chief Executive Officer. "Salil is an expert problem solver and a great executive. I am pleased that he'll be focusing his talents on one of the most important areas of our business."
In his new role, Mehta will oversee all day-to-day operations, finance, legal and business affairs, business development and strategic planning for E&DN/IM's entire portfolio which includes Telemundo, mun2, Bravo Media, Oxygen Media and Style and the digital properties iVillage, DailyCandy, Swirl and Fandango. He also will have direct oversight of our partially-owned cable networks Sprout, ExerciseTV and TVOne.
Mehta will work directly with each of the entertainment and digital brand leaders to help architect growth strategies for their businesses. He is also charged with the mandate to further drive revenue across the entire E&DN/IM division, working directly with both the advertising and distribution sales leaders.
Lauren Zalaznick, Chairman of the division to whom Mehta will report, said: "Salil has been an incredible asset to NBCUniversal over the past three years, a proven performer whose insight, integrity and expertise has been invaluable to our company's growth. With direct operational and strategic planning experience, he is a great collaborator and someone who understands how to take each of our team's businesses to the next level of success."
At NBCUniversal, Mehta managed negotiations for NBCUniversal's purchase of The Weather Channel; played a key role the creation of A&E Television Networks, a merger of A&E and Lifetime in which NBCUniversal has an interest; as well as the sale of the company's Sundance Channel unit to Rainbow Media Holdings.
Prior to joining NBCUniversal, Mehta served as Executive Vice President of ESPN Enterprises Inc., with operating responsibilities for all of ESPN's non-broadcasting businesses including new media, broadband, mobile, publishing and consumer product businesses. Before that, Mehta was Executive Vice President, Corporate Business Development and Strategic Planning for the Walt Disney Company. Mehta joined Disney in 1994.
Mehta received his M.B.A. in finance from the Wharton School, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in international relations from Brown University, and, as a Fulbright Scholar, studied international political economy at the Delhi School of Economics.
NBCUniversal's Entertainment & Digital Networks and Integrated Media division is comprised of the some of the industry's leading television and digital brands which include Telemundo, mun2, Bravo Media, Oxygen Media, Style, Sprout, ExerciseTV, TV One, iVillage, DailyCandy, Swirl, and Fandango. Additionally, the group includes Integrated Strategic Marketing, which spearheads the company-wide initiatives Green is Universal, Healthy at NBCUniversal, Hispanics at NBCUniversal and Women at NBCUniversal.
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