Warner Bros. Discovery’s chief people and culture officer Adria Alpert Romm will retire at the end of June 2024, the company announced Tuesday.
WPP’s global chief people officer Jennifer Remling has been named as the top HR exec’s successor and will join WBD in January. She will report directly to Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, to whom Alpert Romm has served as lieutenant for three decades.
WBD credits Alpert Romm with playing a key role in Discovery’s acquisition of Scripps Networks in 2018 and integration of AT&T’s WarnerMedia in 2022, as well as implementing DEI development programs and several wellness initiatives, including the establishment and expansion of wellness centers and on-site daycare facilities globally.
She launched multiple company community outreach programs, including TLC’s Say Yes to the Prom initiative, which Alpert Romm created as an employee giveback event in 2012 and has since grown into an annual nationwide benefit tour.
Prior to her tenure at Warner Bros. Discovery and formerly Discovery, Alpert Romm worked in HR at NBCUniversal. She serves on the board of directors for Emma Bowen Foundation.
Most recently, Remling was global chief people officer for marketing giant WPP. Prior to that, she held the same role at GroupM, WPP’s media investment group, and was previously global chief talent officer at Essence.
“I have been incredibly fortunate to have Adria by my side for more than 30 years as one of my closest advisors,” Zaslav said in a statement Tuesday. “A strong people culture is critical to any successful company and Adria has fought every day to put employees first, and, through her years of stellar leadership and innovation, she has ensured that our company has always been the gold standard in talent acquisition as well as employee development and wellness — she is the absolute best in the business.”
He continued: “While Jennifer has big shoes to fill, she is exceptionally talented and highly respected in her own right, having led large-scale HR teams in support of complex global organizations with tens of thousands of employees. The lasting impact she’s made at WPP underscores her strong support of employee development and DEI initiatives as well as her clear commitment to creating a positive and nurturing workplace environment. We couldn’t be more excited to have her join our leadership team.”
