Mike Cavanagh begins to put his stamp on NBCUniversal.
According to three people, Mr. Cavanagh, who acquired the company in April, will hand Donna Langley, the company’s film chief, extensive oversight of creative decisions for the company’s entertainment content, including films and television shows for its streaming service Peacock, with the matter trusted. Mark Lazarus, chairman of NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, is also promoted and given greater influence over business decisions for some of the company’s creative content.
The promotions, which two people familiar with the matter said could be announced as early as Thursday, would be Mr Cavanagh’s first big step. The company’s former CEO, Jeff Shell, has resigned following a sexual harassment investigation.
A spokeswoman for NBCUniversal initially declined to comment.
Essentially, Mr. Cavanagh is reducing the number of executives who report directly to him, thereby streamlining the Company’s senior management team. Other executives who will remain on his leadership team include Mark Woodbury, the company’s chief of parking, and Cesar Conde, chairman of NBCUniversal News Group, who will also oversee Telemundo. Mr. Cavanagh will continue to work directly with Adam Miller, an executive vice president responsible for corporate communications and human resources and social responsibility. Kim Harris, the company’s general counsel; and Anand Kini, CFO of NBCUniversal.
Since taking over Mr. Shell, Mr. Cavanagh has toured the company’s offices in Los Angeles, New York and London and met celebrities such as Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon. He has largely tried to carry on as before, telling the people he works with that while the company would absorb Mr Shell’s departure, things would remain the same.
Mr. Cavanagh has had to deal with unexpected turmoil in his short tenure in the position, including the surprise departure of the company’s advertising sales manager, Linda Yaccarino, who left NBCUniversal to become CEO of Twitter. Ms. Yaccarino left the company just as the company was preparing its annual pitch to advertisers, known as upfronts, which account for a sizeable portion of annual sales.
In promoting Ms. Langley, NBCUniversal is hiring an experienced creative executive with a recent track record of box-office successes. Along with Chris Meledandri, CEO of animation studio Illumination, Ms. Langley has helmed hits like Super Mario Bros., which grossed more than $1 billion, and Minions: The Rise of Gru, which released last year, grossed more worldwide than $900 million.
Mr. Lazarus, who runs NBCUniversal’s television networks and streaming business, has been with the company for more than a decade. During his years with the company, Mr. Lazarus was responsible for securing contracts with the Olympic Games, the National Football League and the Premier League and was a driving force behind the growth of Sunday Night Football, the company’s flagship NFL program.