David C. Leavy appointed chief operating officer of CNN Worldwide

David Leavy

Chris Licht, chairman and CEO of CNN Worldwide, today announced the appointment of David C. Leavy as chief operating officer of CNN Worldwide, effective June 20.

A 23-year veteran of Discovery Inc. and Warner Bros. Discovery, Leavy will assume responsibility over commercial, operational and promotional activities across CNN Worldwide, reporting into Licht. 

“David’s deep operational experience, institutional knowledge and key industry relationships perfectly complements the strengths of our leadership team,” said Licht. “He is a strategic, versatile and dynamic executive who will work with myself and the senior leadership team to help transform our business as we get the full programming slate on the air, build out our digital future and grow the CNN brand around the world. Everyone who works with David has seen how his energy, work ethic and collaborative style positively impacts an organization, and I can’t wait for him to join me and the CNN team.”

Leavy currently serves as chief corporate affairs officer for Warner Bros. Discovery and will maintain public policy and social responsibility oversight on behalf of Warner Bros Discovery going forward.

Most recently, Leavy served as chief corporate pperations officer, Discovery, Inc., where he was instrumental in many of the company’s most significant strategic initiatives, including the successful launch of discovery+ in 2021; the company’s public listing on the NASDAQ exchange in 2008; its agreement to acquire Scripps Networks Interactive in 2018; and Discovery and Eurosport’s agreement for rights to the Olympic Games across Europe. Prior to joining Discovery, Leavy served as chief spokesman and senior director of public affairs for the National Security Council and as deputy press secretary for foreign affairs in the Clinton White House. Leavy sits on the boards of the Motion Picture Association (MPA) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI). He is a graduate of Colby College and the Salisbury School, where he now serves as co-chair of the board of trustees.

About CNN Worldwide:

CNN Worldwide is the most honored brand in cable news, reaching more individuals on television and online than any other cable news organization in the United States. Globally, CNN International is the most widely distributed news channel. CNN Digital is the #1 online news destination, with more unique visitors than any other news source. CNN’s award-winning portfolio includes non-scripted programming from CNN Original Series and CNN Films for broadcast, streaming and distribution across multiple platforms. CNN programming can be found on CNN, CNN International and CNN en Español channels, on the CNN Originals hub on discovery+, on HBO Max and for pay TV subscription via CNN.com, CNN apps and cable operator platforms. Additionally, CNN Newsource is the world’s most extensively utilized news service partnering with over 1,000 local and international news organizations around the world. CNN is a division of Warner Bros. Discovery.