WarnerBros. Discovery has hired Robert Gibbs, a former top aide to President Barack Obama, to lead its communication strategy, the company confirmed on Tuesday.
Gibbs he will oversee WBD’s corporate and business communications and report to David Zaslav, the conglomerate’s Chief Executive Officer.
News of Gibbs’s hire was first reported by The Hollywood Reporter late Monday.
“At this transformative time in our industry, Robert is the right leader to assume this new, critical global role, as we continue to grow the Warner Bros. Discovery brand and presence around the world,” Zaslav said in a statement. “Robert is an insightful and respected leader with experience spanning Fortune 500 companies, the White House, and winning political campaigns.”
Gibbs served as White House Press Secretary from 2009 to 2011 under Obama and was instrumental to the former president’s messaging on key issues ranging from healthcare to foreign policy.
After leaving government, Gibbs took a job as communications chief at McDonald’s, a post he held until 2019.
Gibbs’s hiring comes at a tumultuous time for WBD, which has seen its stock price fall in recent weeks on Wall Street fears it will lose out on the next round of rights to show NBA games, among other factors.
Zaslav is facing increased pressure from investors to cut costs, as the company, like all major media brands, struggles with a softer advertising market and changing consumer habits.
WBD is also facing internal tensions, following reporting that it plans to cut its budgets on streaming by hundreds of millions of dollars, reductions that could major ramifications for some of its biggest properties like Max, CNN and TNT.
Gibbs will begin in his new role with the company in August.