Television
November 10, 2009
Warner Bros. International Television Distribution Announces Sales Executive Promotions
(November 10, 2009 – Burbank, CA) – Warner Bros. International Television Distribution (WBITD) today announced the promotions of two sales executives: Roni Patel has been named Vice President, Sales–Scandinavia, Benelux and Middle East, WBITD, while Rita Akkari has been named Director, Sales–Central and Eastern Europe, WBITD. The announcement was made by Jeffrey R. Schlesinger, President, Warner Bros. International Television.
Reporting to Robert Blair, Senior Vice President, Northern Europe, WBITD, and based in London, both Patel and Akkari will spearhead the licensing of WBITD programming – including television series, feature films, made-for-television movies and animation – throughout their respective regions of responsibility to free and pay TV outlets over terrestrial, cable, satellite and IPTV platforms. They will also sell current and library programming to new media clients in the areas of advertiser-supported (AVOD) and subscription-based (SVOD) video-on-demand.
In her new role, Patel – who most recently served as Director, Sales–Benelux and Middle East, WBITD, since February 2007 – will retain oversight of those territories while also adding sales responsibility for Scandinavia.
Akkari – who was most recently Senior Sales Manager, WBITD, since 2008 – will now have day-to-day sales responsibility for the fast-growing emerging territories in Central and Eastern Europe, and will add the territories of the Czech Republic and Hungary to her portfolio.
“Roni and Rita have both distinguished themselves by identifying and developing new opportunities to grow WBITD’s business in key territories, and these promotions reflect their ongoing contributions to our success,” said Schlesinger.
Prior to joining WBITD in February 2007, Patel was at The Walt Disney Company for 11 years, most recently as Sales Director for two years after previously serving as Sales Manager. Before that, she was a Group and Conference Sales Executive for Radisson Edwardian Hotels. Patel is a graduate of Anglia Ruskin University.
Akkari joined WBITD in 2007 as a sales management executive. Prior to that, she served two years as Director of International Sales at TVF International. She is a graduate of the University of Oxford. # # #