Brian Sullivan, CEO of German pay-TV broadcaster Sky Deutschland, will step back on June 24, 2015 and return to his home country USA.
The supervisory board has appointed Carsten Schmidt, currently Sky Deutschland’s Chief Officer for sports, advertising sales & internet, to succeed Sullivan. He will become deputy CEO with immediate effect and work alongside Sullivan over the coming months before taking over his position.
Schmidt has been working at Sky Deutschland since 1999, since 2006 as a member of the management board.
Sullivan’s resignation comes as a surprise: The American who considerably improved Sky Deutschland’s subscriber figures and financial situation renewed his contract in July 2014 for another two years until the end of 2016. He has been heading the company since April 1, 2010.
Sullivan decided to relocate to the USA with his family for private reasons, Broadband TV News learned from people familiar with the matter. He is believed to take on a senior executive position at parent company 21st Century Fox in Los Angeles. The appointment is expected to be announced in the next weeks.
