Warner Bros. Discovery Names Lisa Collins as Diversity, Equity and Inclusion VP for North America

Warner Bros. Discovery executive Lisa Collins has been named Group Vice President and will oversee the company’s diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives across North America. 

Collins, who previously worked as head of People & Culture Partners for Production at WBD, will report to Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer Asif Sadiq. Her appointment comes after Karen Horne, who had been Senior Vice President, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, North America, was laid off by the company at the end of June, as the division sought a broader reorganization. 

Other WBD executives are moving onto the DEI senior leadership team, including Christian Hug, who will now be GVP of DEI International; Yvette Latour who will be  VP of DEI Workforce and Strategy, and Claire Brody, moving to Director of DEI, EMEA.

In her previous role at WBD, Collins was in charge of the team that provided HR support to cast and crew members working on company productions around the world. She previously served as Director of Production HR, as well as in HR positions at Warner Bros. Entertainment and NBCUniversal.

In the new role, Collins will create  DEI programs that focus on “recruitment, retention, progression, performance management, leadership development and employee engagement” for each business unit, work with executives across the company and grow the company’s business resource groups.

“Lisa is already a highly respected member of the WBD team who deeply understands our employee population and has seen first-hand the positive impact equity and inclusion initiatives have on the corporate, creative and production processes – she is the perfect person to accelerate our employee programs throughout the region and will be an invaluable addition to my senior team,” Sadiq said. 

“I am thrilled to join the DEI team. Under Asif’s leadership, the DEI organization has become a shining example of WBD’s commitment to training, retaining, and promoting talented colleagues from across the company. I am committed to this impactful approach and advancing our DEI initiatives to ensure our employees feel a sense of belonging and enthusiasm to build their careers here,” Collins said.

Horne’s departure from the company had prompted concern about the number of DEI executives leaving the industry, after Netflix disclosed that Vernā Myers, who had worked on the company’s inclusion and diversity initiatives for the past five years, would be departing the company in September and Disney said Latondra Newton, the company’s chief diversity officer, would be leaving after a six-year run. However, WBD had said its team would be expanding.