Karl Holmes Has Been Named Head of Disney+ EMEA

The Walt Disney Company has tapped Sky finance executive Karl Homes to replace Luke Bradley-Jones as the head of Disney+ in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA). The latter left Disney earlier this year to become president of the Economist.

In his new role, Holmes will lead the EMEA Disney+ team out of London and report to Jan Koeppen and Joe Early.

(Photo Illustration by Mateusz Slodkowski/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

“For years I’ve admired Disney’s unique position as a business. As a long-time fan of the brand, I couldn’t be more excited to be joining the company to lead direct-to-consumer in EMEA, after a fantastic decade at Sky,” Holmes said in a statement.

Holmes’ Experience at Sky

According to Deadline, the new Disney+ EMEA executive spent his decade at Sky in numerous senior leadership positions. These included roles in “marketing, operations, finance, commercial, and data.”

Among Holmes’ titles were Chief Operating Officer for Europe, Chief Consumer Revenue Officer for the UK, and Group Chief Data Officer.

Photo: Variety

“Karl Holmes will join Disney+ in EMEA at a time when our DTC business goes from strength to strength across our region. Karl has a proven track record for building long-term success in consumer-facing businesses and I know under his leadership the team will flourish,” Koeppen said.

Another Hire Should Be Coming

While Disney now has a Disney+ head for EMEA, the company still needs to find a new Chief Content Officer. To that end, another announcement should be on the horizon.

The Walt Disney Company. Photo: Disney