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Athan Stephanopoulos is stepping down as executive vice president and chief digital officer of CNN, as CEO Mark Thompson focuses on a new structure for the network.
Stephanopoulos joined the network in fall 2022 under then-CEO Chris Licht.
In a statement sent to employees, Stephanopoulos said, “In my discussions with Mark since his arrival, there was much we agreed on, in particular that innovative high quality digital news services would be increasingly important for CNN’s future success. But it also became clear that Mark had his own vision of how he wanted digital operations to be organized. In order to give him the freest hand possible to structure and shape the organization moving forward, I felt that now was the best time for me to step back from my role and move on to a new chapter.”
Thompson said that Stephanopoulos would remain at the network through the end of the month during a transition period. The CNN CEO, who started last fall, soon plans to outline his vision for the network and his plans for structuring the organization.
Thompson’s complete memo is below:
January 3, 2024
Dear all –
I have news to share with you today: Athan Stephanopoulos has decided to step down as EVP and Chief Digital Officer of CNN.
Since his arrival, Athan has been a strong and capable leader of our digital team and a collaborative colleague across the organization. I know that everyone who’s worked alongside him at CNN will want to join me in thanking him for everything he’s done for us and to wish him every success in his next chapter.
Athan wanted to express the following: “In my discussions with Mark since his arrival, there was much we agreed on, in particular that innovative high quality digital news services would be increasingly important for CNN’s future success. But it also became clear that Mark had his own vision of how he wanted digital operations to be organized. In order to give him the freest hand possible to structure and shape the organization moving forward, I felt that now was the best time for me to step back from my role and move on to a new chapter. I sincerely wish CNN and each of you great success in the path ahead.”
As we transition, Athan will continue on through the end of the month. Please join me in thanking him again for all his hard work and dedication to CNN.
Mark
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