WarnerMedia said it has tapped former Creative Artists Agency executive Christy Haubegger as EVP, chief enterprise inclusion officer, reporting directly to CEO John Stankey.
According to WarnerMedia, Haubegger will work closely with the division’s senior leadership team across the company to drive business growth through strategic investment in diverse audiences and to ensure the organization’s workforce is representative of the markets it serves.
“As we transform our businesses and our culture, we see a unique opportunity to generate outsize growth by delivering world- class content that engages underserved audiences,”Stankey said in a press release. “To realize that opportunity we know we must make strategic investments, build a more representative workforce, and create a truly inclusive culture. Christy is a business leader and an innovator whose commitment to inclusion, industry reputation and diversity experience is second-to-none. She will play a pivotal role in helping to drive our strategic and creative process forward to ensure relevancy, market leadership and long-term success.”
WarnerMedia formalized its commitment to diversity and inclusion as business imperatives last year, pledging to use its best efforts to ensure diverse actors and crew members are considered for film, television and other projects, and to work with directors and producers who also seek to promote greater diversity and inclusion in the media and entertainment industry.
“I’m excited to join WarnerMedia and to further build on the bold commitments to inclusion that the company has already made,” Haubegger said in a press release. “John Stankey and the WarnerMedia team understand that in today’s competitive media and entertainment marketplace, a robust strategy to engage diverse audiences is imperative for growth. I look forward to continuing to propel change and innovation in our industry by expanding opportunities for under-represented groups.”
Haubegger spent 14 years at Creative Artists Agency (CAA), where she spearheaded diversity efforts, making the agency one of the leaders in representing women and people of color. Under Haubegger’s leadership, CAA launched CAA Amplify, an invitation-only annual event convening high-level multicultural artists and leaders, as well as the Amplify Database, the industry’s first searchable database of television writers of color. During her tenure, the agency has grown its diverse roster more than 1400% and according to USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, the agency now represents the largest share of female directors and African-American directors in the motion picture business.
“Christy Haubegger is one of a kind. She is a talented and visionary leader who made a transformational impact on the agency throughout her tenure,” CAA president Richard Lovett, said in a press release. “She influenced our business and culture, and established CAA as a leader in the promotion of inclusion, creating initiatives that support and advance underrepresented voices. We remain steadfast in our commitment to moving our industry forward and are thrilled to continue working collaboratively with Christy in her new role.”
A graduate of Stanford Law School, Haubegger founded Latina magazine in 1996 and later became a film producer, serving in that role on films like Chasing Papi (20th Century Fox) and romantic comedy Spanglish (Columbia Pictures).
