Polly Cochrane, WarnerMedia’s EVP and Country Manager for U.K. and Ireland, is stepping down, she revealed today. She will stay on in her role until a successor is found before moving to a portfolio career with a remit for coaching and mentoring senior executives and new talent.
Cochrane has been at the company in senior management roles for 13 years, having joined in 2009 as SVP of group marketing.
In that role, she pioneered a “lifecycle marketing approach” encompassing intellectual property, brands and franchises across films, TV series, games, consumer products and experiences.
Five years later, she oversaw expansion and growth of the Wizard World franchise after taking on responsibility for management and global development.
In 2020, Cochrane acceded to the position of Country Manager for the U.K. and Ireland, a role that included integrating Warner Bros. and Turner across the U.K. and Ireland as well as implementing strategy.
Priya Dogra, president and managing director at Warner Bros. Discovery EMEA (ex. Poland), who is currently overseeing the Discovery and WarnerMedia merger across territories, will announce Cochrane’s replacement in the near future.
“Polly is a gifted executive whose impact on our business has been nothing short of extraordinary,” said Dogra. “Her vision for creating an integrated marketing function across numerous lines of business, as well as developing and maintaining sustainable brands and franchises, has been replicated across the company’s global operations. Polly is known for her leadership and presence, and has been a staunch advocate for her teams. The company has benefited immensely from her skills, dedication and passion, which have helped bring countless films and television programmes to UK audiences for over a decade. I am very sad to see her leave but I have no doubt of her continued contribution and influence on the UK media sector, including through her focus on coaching leaders of the future.”
Cochrane said: “Leading the U.K. and Ireland team at WarnerMedia has been the great privilege of my career, particularly during the last two challenging years. This is a hard company to leave for many reasons but first and foremost because of the people with whom I’ve been lucky enough to work. My aim has always been to create environments where individuals and teams feel supported, motivated, and inspired to do outstanding work that makes them proud. I believe the output over the last 13 years speaks for itself. At this time of great change for the company, it feels like the right time to also make a big change for myself. I am immensely excited to embark on this next chapter as a mentor and coach, in addition to carrying out non-executive roles, to develop others and achieve positive lasting change.”
