Warner Bros. Discovery has appointed Asif Sadiq as its chief officer of global diversity, equity and inclusion, the company said Wednesday.
Sadiq will lead the company’s diversity, equity and inclusion strategy and global team, expanding on initiatives from both legacy Discovery, Inc. and legacy WarnerMedia.
Sadiq will jointly report to CEO David Zaslav and people and culture chief Adria Alpert Romm.
Sadiq most recently served as the head of international diversity, equity and inclusion for WarnerMedia and was a key architect of many of the WarnerMedia DE&I internal and content-focused initiatives on which WBD plans to build. Earlier, Sadiq held senior diversity positions at Adidas, The Telegraph Media Group, EY Financial Services and the City of London Police.
In his role, Sadiq will chair WBD’s new Business Diversity Council, a senior advisory board comprised of global leaders from the Company’s sports, games, technology, revenue, and corporate groups. The Council will assist in developing and instituting enterprise-wide diversity programs for employees across businesses.
“Having diversity of thought, ideas and experiences is so critical to the success of any business, especially a creative company like Warner Bros. Discovery,” Zaslav said in a statement. “We want our employees to be able to thrive as their authentic selves, while using the power of storytelling to not only entertain audiences around the world, but also open minds and inspire action. And I can think of no better leader than Asif to ensure that we champion the most thoughtful and impactful diversity, equity and inclusion program. He brings an impressive track record of success at WarnerMedia and beyond, and his vast experience internationally makes him the ideal candidate to build and lead a truly global team and impactful DE&I strategy.”
Added Sadiq: “I am so proud of the work we began at WarnerMedia and am thrilled to join David, Adria, and Warner Bros. Discovery to accelerate the diversity mission I believe in so strongly. Companies that get DE&I right are more successful and have deeper relationships with their employees, consumers and partners. In other words, this isn’t just the right thing to do, it also makes smart business sense and presents a great opportunity. I look forward to making a measurable and sustained impact with employees, on the screen, in our communities, and for our business.”
In addition, WBD is establishing a Creative Diversity Council, which includes Channing Dungey, Chairman of Warner Bros. Television Group; Pamela Abdy, Chairperson and CEO of Warner Bros. Film Group; Mike DeLuca, Chairperson and CEO of Warner Bros. Film Group; Casey Bloys, Chief Content Officer of HBO and HBO Max; and Kathleen Finch, Chairman and Chief Content Officer for US Networks Group. Together these senior creative leaders will help ensure that DE&I is woven into the development, production and distribution process.
Sadiq is a member of the board of The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Middlesex University, WORK180 and Hedley May. In addition, he is a Chartered Companion of the Chartered Management Institute and an Executive Member of World 50, Inc. Sadiq has been recognized as one of the most influential global D&I Leaders by Hive Learning and listed on People Management’s D&I Power List. He has won numerous awards and has been honored for his work with an MBE by the Queen.