Anthony Ambrosio and JoAnne Adams Griffith Named to Senior Human Resources Posts for Post-Spin-Off CBS Corporation and the New Viacom
NEW YORK, Sept. 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA VIA.B)
announced today that Anthony G. Ambrosio and JoAnne Adams Griffith will direct
the respective human resources policies and programs of CBS Corporation and
new Viacom, following the separation of the organization into two publicly
traded companies. Mr. Ambrosio will report to Leslie Moonves, currently
Viacom's co-President and co-Chief Operating Officer, and Ms. Griffith will
report to Tom Freston, Viacom's co-President and co-Chief Operating Officer.
In the interim period, Mr. Ambrosio and Ms. Griffith will assume the human
resources responsibilities of William A. Roskin, who will relinquish his day-
to-day responsibilities as Executive Vice President, Human Resources and
Administration, effective September 15, after which he will serve as Senior
Advisor to the Company.
Mr. Ambrosio, Executive Vice President, Human Resources and
Administration, will direct the Human Resources and Administration activities
(including corporate real estate, facilities management, security and certain
other corporate services) of the operations that report to Mr. Moonves, which
include the CBS Television Network, UPN, Infinity Broadcasting, Viacom
Outdoor, Viacom Television Stations Group, Paramount Television, King World,
Simon & Schuster, Showtime and Paramount Parks. He will also continue to
provide oversight of the Labor Relations unit.
Ms. Griffith will oversee the human resources policies and programs of
Viacom's Corporate office, as well as the businesses that report to Mr.
Freston, which include MTV Networks (MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite,
Comedy Central, CMT: Country Music Television, Spike TV, TV Land and many
other networks around the world), BET, Paramount Pictures, Paramount Home
Entertainment and Famous Music.
Sumner Redstone, Chairman and CEO of Viacom, said: "Both Tony and JoAnne
are extraordinary human resources executives who have made significant
contributions to our Company over the years. Their expertise and leadership
have never been more valuable to our organization, as we work our way through
the separation of Viacom into two vibrant and strong public companies. We are
fortunate to have Tony and JoAnne to seamlessly guide CBS Corporation and new
Viacom through the transition and help us assemble the best possible teams for
each company. Tony and JoAnne are the ideal executives to lead our human
resources efforts and we are pleased to recognize their decades of dedication
with these appointments."
"We also want to thank Bill Roskin for his invaluable service to Viacom
over the last 17 years," said Mr. Redstone. "Over nearly two decades, Viacom
has seen many milestones and Bill has been a critical contributor to our
successful evolution. He has been a talented and trusted colleague to me and
a vital member of our corporate team, and I am pleased that we will have the
opportunity to continue to benefit from his services as Senior Advisor. We
appreciate his leadership and his years of dedication to Viacom, and we wish
him all the best in this new stage of his career."
Mr. Ambrosio comes to his new role from his previously held position as
Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Administration for CBS, Infinity
and Viacom Outdoor, a position he assumed in May 2000. In this role, Mr.
Ambrosio was responsible for overseeing all elements of the Human Resources
and Administration function for CBS, Infinity Broadcasting and Viacom Outdoor,
and provided administrative oversight of CBS's Industrial Relations function.
Prior to the merger of CBS Corporation with Viacom Inc. in May 2000, he served
as Vice President, Human Resources, CBS Corporation. He joined CBS in March
1985 in Recruitment and Placement and held increasingly senior HR positions in
Compensation and Benefits functions.
Mr. Ambrosio graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 1982 with a
Bachelor of Arts in economics and political science, and received his Master
of Business Administration in 1991 from the New York University Stern School
of Business. He is a Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (Wharton School
of the University of Pennsylvania, 1993) and a Certified Compensation
Professional. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the American
Benefits Council.
Ms. Griffith moves to her new role from the position of Vice President of
Human Resources for Viacom, a position she held since 1996. In this role, she
was responsible for the development and implementation of the Company's
corporate human resources policies and programs, including compensation,
benefits, employee relations, HR information systems, training, leadership
development and diversity initiatives. In January 1998, Ms. Griffith was
appointed the additional responsibility of Executive Vice President of Human
Resources at MTV Networks, where she has been a member of the MTV Networks
strategic planning team.
In this role, she was responsible for all of MTV Networks' HR initiatives
globally, including organization and leadership development, diversity,
employee relations, compensation, benefits, learning program and employment,
as well as planning and design. From 1986 to 1996, Ms. Griffith was Vice
President of Human Resources at Paramount Pictures. Prior to joining
Paramount, she worked for seven years with ABC in Los Angeles and finished as
Director of Human Resources with ABC in New York. She has also worked as a
human resources consultant to the President of a Japanese subsidiary, US
AMADA, and held a management development training position with Bristol Myers.
Ms. Griffith graduated from Purdue University with a Bachelor of Science
from the School of Technology in Industrial Psychology and Organizational
Leadership. She has lectured at the UCLA Business Graduate School and has
taught management courses at the college level.
Mr. Roskin was appointed Executive Vice President of Human Resources and
Administration in November 2004. He had previously served as Senior Vice
President of Human Resources and Administration since July 1992, and as Vice
President, Human Resources and Administration, since joining Viacom in 1988.
Before joining the Company, Mr. Roskin was Senior Vice President, Human
Resources at Coleco Industries, Inc., from 1986 to 1988. Mr. Roskin
previously spent 10 years with Warner Communications Inc., where he held
several executive positions in labor relations, including Vice President,
Industrial and Labor Relations.
Viacom is a leading global media company, with preeminent positions in
broadcast and cable television, radio, outdoor advertising, and online. With
programming that appeals to audiences in every demographic category across
virtually all media, the company is a leader in the creation, promotion, and
distribution of entertainment, news, sports, music, and comedy. Viacom's well-
known brands include CBS, MTV, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, VH1, BET, Paramount
Pictures, Infinity Broadcasting, Viacom Outdoor, UPN, TV Land, Comedy Central,
CMT: Country Music Television, King World, Spike TV, Showtime, Paramount
Parks, and Simon & Schuster. More information about Viacom and its businesses
is available at .
Contact
HRM Guide