In its second major addition to its executive suite this year, The Weather Channel Cos. has hired Chris Walters to serve as COO.
In this newly created role, Walters, who has been serving as COO of Bloomberg Industry Verticals Group, will oversee TWCC's technology, finance, legal and human resources teams. Walters will report to chairman and CEO David Kenny, the former Akami president who joined TWCC, which is owned by Bain Capital, NBCUniversal and The Blackstone Group, in January.
"Chris is a strategist with the vision and understanding of the media and digital industries and a track record in operating innovative media and technology businesses. He will focus on building the operational infrastructure required to scale our business globally," said Kenny in announcinv the hire. "Adding Chris to our team will enable us to build on our category leadership, strengthen our technology and expand into new markets."
As COO of the Bloomberg Industry Vertical Group, Walters was responsible for operations, strategy, business development and expansion of the premium web-based subscription businesses. He launched Bloomberg Government last year. In aaddition, he led the acquisition of BNA, a major provider of legal information. Walters joined Bloomberg in 2008 as head of news and multimedia strategy, focusing on the future growth and strategic direction for the company's collection of media properties across TV, online, mobile and syndication.
Previously, Walters was a partner at McKinsey & Co., advising media, entertainment and investment companies, including TWCC's principal investors. He started his career in marketing strategy for Hallmark Cards.
