Strauss Zelnick Already Has A Job, Says Hes Not Looking To Become CBS Next CEO
Alberto E. Tamargo For weeks now, speculation has swirled in New York media circles tha..
Alberto E. Tamargo
For weeks now, speculation has swirled in New York media circles that Strauss Zelnick was angling for the CEOs job at CBS.
The current head of Take-Two Interactive used an appearance at the 2018 Paley International Council Summit in London to tamp down any such speculation. Asked by investment banker Aryeh Bourkoff if he had any interest in becoming the media companys CEO, Zelnick offered an emphatic “no.”
“To add a couple more words: unequivocally, absolutely no. Thats not the deal,” said Zelnick, a media entrepreneur who was appointed CBS interim board chairman to take the place of Richard Parsons, who stepped down in October for health reasons.
Theres been plenty of speculation about who might claim the post Les Moonves vacated, after a dozen women came forward to accuse him of sexual aggression. The media companys newly constituted board of directors has retained executive search firm Korn Ferry to help potentially fill the CEO slot. The search is expected to take another four months, an insider says.
Interim CEO Joe Ianniello has been working to prove himself worthy of the job, making a series of executive appointments to round out the executive team. The media companys longtime financial strategist received strong marks from Wall Street after delivering his first quarterly report in the top job.
Some in New York media circles saw Zelnick, who has close ties to CBS controlling shareholders, the Redstone family, making a play for the top job. That seems unlikely, in the wake of Fridays remarks.
“This is an amazing enterprise and Im really grateful to be on the board and to be of service,” Zelnick said in remarks during at the Paley event. “But the job of a non-executive chairman is obviously to convene and to support the companys management as they grow and build and create value in the company. Thats it.”
