Experienced exec was inaugural chief commercial officer at European distribution company behind hit TF1 series HIP
Newen Connect’s commercial chief Leona Connell has left the company amid a refocusing of its operations, Broadcast has learned.
The experienced exec exited recently having been at the distribution firm for just over four years, with her next move currently under wraps.
Her departure came as part of a rejig at Newen, which has “decided to evolve our organisation to better meet our needs and those of the industry,” a spokesperson said.
“Since most of our teams are based in France, it seemed more coherent to concentrate top management positions closer to our teams and to streamline hierarchical layers to improve agility and efficiency.
“We wanted to thank Leona for her great work over the last four years and wish her well with her future plans.”
Connell joined the sales arm of TF1-owned production outfit Newen Studios in December 2020 as executive vice-president of distribution, before being promoted to her most recent and then newly created position of chief commercial officer in 2023.
Based in London and the company’s Paris headquarters, Connell led on Newen Connect’s expansion of its content distribution across international and French markets, overseeing and developing a team of 19 sales representative across multi-genre TV and film content spanning drama, documentaries, kids & family.
During her tenure, she spearheaded a multi-million-pound push into English-language programming helping grow Newen Connect into one Europe’s leading distributors.
The company’s catalogue includes hit series including TF1 comedic detective series HIP (High Intellectual Potential), Apple TV+ original Liaison, Paramount+ UK returner The Serial Killer’s Wife, Amazon Prime Video war epic Dark Hearts, and breakout TF1 manga remake Cat’s Eyes. Last year, the company recruited Karen Wise to bolster its English-language sales business.
Elsewhere, Connell steered the growth of Newen Connect’s scripted format business, leading the team which closed deals and financing for HIP and Lars Lundstrom’s upcoming Swedish sci-fi and Göteborg Film Festival TV drama showcase pick, We Come In Peace.
The former has travelled into six territories including high-profile US remake High Potential with Kaitlin Olson for ABC, which has recently been recommissioned.
Prior to Newen, Connell was senior vice-president of sales at NBCUniversal following the integration of Sky Vision’s acquisition by Comcast. At Sky Vision she was director of global sales for eight years.
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