CBS has announced the appointment of Richard Parsons at its interim chairman, taking over from Leslie Moonves, who had resigned over a multitude of sexual assault and misconduct allegations.
Parsons formerly held the chief executive post at Time Warner from 2002 to 2007, and was also its chairman from 2003 to 2009. He also held a chairman role at Citigroup and was chief executive of the LA Clippers NBA franchise.
His appointment comes in the midst of a turbulent stretch for CBS as it faced both the Moonves scandal, which ended in his recent resignation, and rumors of a merger with Viacom. The Redstone family has had controlling interest in both CBS and Viacom, but CBS vice-chairwoman Shari Redstone had previously denied the merger talks.
Candace Beinecke, chair of CBS’ nominating and governance committee said in a statement: “Dick Parsons has a combination of deep industry knowledge and unmatched corporate and board experience. We are fortunate to have Dick in this leadership role.”
Parsons added: “I think I speak for all board members when I say I look forward to learning more about CBS’ compelling opportunities and how we can help guide and support the company’s growth.”