Time Warner president and chief operating officer Jeffrey Bewkes and Motorola CEO Edward Zander were elected to Time Warner’s board of directors, the media giant said Thursday.
The move continues Bewkes’ steady rise up the corporate ladder at Time Warner. Bewkes, 54, is a former CEO of HBO and previously ran Time Warner’s Entertainment and Networks Group. He was promoted to president and COO of Time Warner in December 2005.
Time Warner could be grooming Bewkes to eventually succeed chairman and CEO Richard Parsons, whose contract expires in spring 2008.
“As COO, Jeff’s been a superb leader of our businesses … I look forward to continuing to work with him and the rest of our board in guiding our company into the future,” Parsons said in Thursday’s announcement.
Zander, 60, was named Motorola chairman and CEO in January 2004. Motorola is one of Time Warner Cable’s set-top suppliers, and Zander could also use his experience at Motorola to advise Time Warner as it begins to market mobile-phone services.
“Ed brings recognized expertise in mobile and broadband communications, which are among the key areas of growth and opportunity for our company,” Parsons said.
