Meet Mark Thompson: The Big-Brained Brit With A Unique Set Of Skills To Save CNN
deadline.comIt is possible that in his search for CNN’s next boss, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav simply checked back through the news network’s archives.
In the otherworldly days of 2020, when Richard Quest was broadcasting in front of a bookcase, the gravel-voiced anchor conducted an exit interview with former New York Times CEO Mark Thompson. “What is next?
People of your age, with your experience … you do not go off to grow petunias and go fishing,” Quest twinkled. Sat in a wood-paneled kitchen in Maine, Thompson chuckled. “I’ll be doing a bit of cooking later,” demurred the 66-year-old Brit, renowned for his culinary skills among friends.
But there was more on his mind than the next meal. “I like big challenges, that should be fairly apparent. That might come in the shape of another big executive job,” he told Quest. “I’m interested in the puzzle of how you help organizations confront the present and the future.” When Zaslav picked up the phone three years later, Thompson made good on his word.
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