Turner Broadcasting Names Aksel van der Wal Chief Financial Officer, International
June 2, 2015 – Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. announced today the promotion of Aksel van der Wal to Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, International. Van der Wal, who currently serves as CFO for Turner EMEA, will take up his new role with effect from July 1, 2015.
As the CFO for Turner internationally, van der Wal will be responsible for all financial operations across its international regions and will be an active partner and contributor in shaping the direction of the company’s international business and implementing its strategy.
Van der Wal will report to Pascal Desroches, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., while working closely with Gerhard Zeiler, President of Turner Broadcasting System International.
In a joint statement, Pascal Desroches and Gerhard Zeiler said: “Aksel is a perfect fit with our goals and with our culture. Since joining Turner in January 2014 he has acquired a huge depth of knowledge about our company in his role as CFO, Turner EMEA. He has done so effectively, thoroughly, and with a good sense of humor. He is superbly qualified in all financial, capital and business issues. Furthermore, Aksel has an impressive track record in transformative finance management and a first class understanding of both the linear and digital media landscapes."
Before joining Turner in London, Aksel van der Wal worked for three years and served as CEO, Time Out, focussed on the two main business sites, London and New York City. His leadership of its global operations embraced digital expansion, new e-commerce operations and the revitalization of its traditional businesses. Prior to Time Out, he was CFO at leading online ticket exchange operation Seatwave, and previously held senior financial and business development roles at Vodafone including CFO of partner markets. He started his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Van der Wal has an MBA from INSEAD, and a LLM tax law from Leiden University, NL. A native Dutch speaker and fluent in English, he also speaks German, French and Spanish.
ABOUT TURNER INTERNATIONAL: Turner Broadcasting System International operates versions of core TBS brands, including CNN, TNT, Cartoon Network, and Turner Classic Movies, as well as country- and region-specific networks and businesses in Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific. It runs Pay- and Free-TV-channels, as well as Internet-based services, and is a commercial partner with various third-party media ventures; it teams with Warner Bros. and HBO to leverage Time Warner’s global reach. TBS operates more than 160 channels showcasing 35 brands in 37 languages in over 200 countries. Turner Broadcasting System International, Inc. is a subsidiary of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS), a Time Warner company.
CONTACT: Oliver Herrgesell oliver.herrgesell@turner.com
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