Walt Disney Company makes new leadership appointments in Australia
The Walt Disney Company has made a number of new leadership appointments in Australia today.
The announcement:
The Walt Disney Company Australia and New Zealand today announced that Haydn Arndt’s leadership of ESPN locally will expand to include regional syndication in Asia-Pacific, and Greg Sneddon has been appointed General Manager, Disney Media Distribution.
Haydn Arndt, who currently serves as General Manager for both Disney Media Distribution and ESPN in Australia and New Zealand and has been with the company for more than four years, will move into a General Manager role focused on ESPN, which will expand to include network syndication across Asia-Pacific. In addition, Arndt will continue to lead channel sales negotiations with affiliate partners in Australia and New Zealand for the Disney and ESPN portfolio of channels. His move is effective June 8, and he will continue to be based in Sydney.
Greg Sneddon joins the company as General Manager, Disney Media Distribution, where he will be responsible for developing and managing the sales and distribution of film content from Studios (Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Lucasfilm); television content from the Disney-ABC Television Group; and digital assets including interactive and publishing apps. He will oversee sales and distribution across all platforms including free-to-air, digital terrestrial television, subscription TV, mobile, internet and digital accounts. Sneddon comes to Disney from Sony Pictures Television, where he was SVP for Distribution in Australia and New Zealand. Prior to that, he spent seven years at Roadshow Television and Digital as Executive Director, Distribution and Strategy. In addition, he has held roles in the US and UK with media companies such as MGM and the BBC. Sneddon will join the company on June 9 and be based in Sydney.
“Disney’s content distribution is critically important. It gives us the framework to reach our audience and consumers, providing them with the best possible entertainment experience and bringing our brands and stories to life wherever they are and on whatever device,” said Catherine Powell, Managing Director, The Walt Disney Company Australia and New Zealand. “I am delighted to welcome Greg to the team and am excited about the valuable experience he brings to this business, positioning us well for future growth in this market.”
Mike Morrison, ESPN Vice President and General Manager Asia-Pacific said, “We’re excited for Haydn to focus fully on the host of ESPN businesses in Australia and New Zealand and continue to oversee Disney and ESPN channel sales negotiations while expanding his responsibilities in Asia-Pacific, as his knowledge and experience will serve us well in the region.”
Source: Walt Disney media release
