CNN Worldwide Names Athan Stephanopoulos and Wendy Brundige as Digital Leads

Benjamin Lindsay
·2 min read
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In CNN’s latest hiring news through its ongoing shakeup, Athan Stephanopoulos and Wendy Brundige have been named as digital leads of the network, CNN Worldwide announced Thursday.

Stephanopoulos, coming off his eight-year tenure as president at NowThis, has been tapped as EVP and Chief Digital Officer of CNN Worldwide, where he’ll report to CNN Chairman and CEO Chris Licht.

Brundige, who was the interim leader of the digital organization during the search for a Chief Digital Officer, will stay onboard as Senior Vice President of CNN Digital Worldwide.

“I am thrilled Athan is joining CNN. His vision for digital journalism, alongside his leadership and business acumen, is exactly what we need to build CNN’s digital future,” Licht said in a statement. “I’m also pleased to announce the promotion of Wendy Brundige. Wendy’s editorial instincts, operations and business expertise and deep knowledge of CNN and its people make her a key leader in this organization. Together they will propel the number one digital news platform in the world into new heights.”

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Stephanopoulos also expressed his enthusiasm for the new role, saying in a statement that he “couldn’t be more excited to join CNN at this unprecedented time in news.”

“CNN’s digital reach around the world is truly unrivaled and its digital offering is best-in-class, and yet there is still so much opportunity for growth and innovation to move CNN into the future,” he said. “I look forward to working with Chris and the entire CNN team to drive deeper engagement among existing audiences online, as well as expand the brand’s digital reach to new audiences around the globe.”

Due to start out of CNN’s New York office on Nov. 14, Stephanopoulos was also previously founder and CEO of Cliptamatic, a social video distribution platform that was acquired by NowThis in 2014.

Brundige has been at CNN for the last eight years and has previously worked for ABC News and most recently as Bloomberg TV’s West Coast bureau chief and executive producer of Bloomberg West. In her new role as SVP, she will oversee CNN Digital Worldwide’s business operations, commerce and audio while continuing her management and oversight of the global digital video team.

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