Geri Wang plans to retire as president of sales at ABC effective March 2017.
The departure would come before the next upfront market.
Wang, who succeeded her husband Mike Shaw in 2010, has been with ABC for 27 years and had been known as a tough negotiator.
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“While we all understand and respect Geri’s decision, she will be greatly missed – both inside Disney|ABC and around the globe with our many clients. Geri is a force of nature – one of the best and brightest in our business,” said Ben Sherwood, copresident of Disney Media Networks and president of Disney-ABC Television Group. “Relentless in her commitment to ABC, formidable at the negotiating table and a fierce advocate for all clients, she has raised the standards of everyone who works with her. We all wish her the very best, no one more than I.”
No successor has been identified.
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“It has been an honor and a privilege to represent ABC for these past 27 years. I truly love ABC: the people, the programs, the ideals. It’s been a magnificent journey, and I want to thank my team for all of their hard work, their brilliance and their friendship. No one is luckier than me.”
Wang joins a list of high-profile ad sales executives leaving their posts recently, including Fox's Toby Byrne, Discovery's Joe Abruzzese, Viacom's Jeff Lucas and AMC's Arlene Manos.
