NBCUniversal Ad Sales President Laura Molen Is Stepping Down

NBCUniversal advertising and partnerships president Laura Molen is exiting the company. On Friday, Molen, who's been with NBCUniversal for 10 years—and has co-led upfront negotiations since 2019—sent a note to colleagues announcing her departure. "This was not an easy decision for me to make—yet, once decided, one I am extremely confident (and excited) about," Molen wrote. The executive added that she is reprioritizing her focus to have time for family and exploring other passions, including partnering with companies and taking on board advisory positions. "It has been an absolute privilege to be on this journey with all of you," Molen said. "Your partnership and, more importantly, your friendship has made this an incredible experience I will never forget—and I’m so proud of what we’ve accomplished together." Molen will stay on with NBCUniversal as an adviser through the first quarter of 2023 to ensure a smooth transition. Upfront Week 2023 Begins to Take Shape as NBCU Sets Radio City Return Following the news, Molen's boss, Linda Yaccarino, chairman of NBCUniversal advertising and partnerships, sent an internal note celebrating the outgoing exec, calling her "a fierce advocate for her team, her partners and this entire industry." "As a leader, Laura has built teams and mentored talent to make our division stronger," Yaccarino wrote. "And she’s been just as committed to our partners, representing the agency perspective in every single room." Heading up upfront talks since 2019 Molen was named president of NBCUniversal advertising sales and partnerships, alongside Mark Marshall, in October 2018. In her role, she led strategic agency relationships and oversees key advertising sales initiatives for NBCUniversal across entertainment, Hispanic, news, Peacock, direct-to-scale and syndication. Earlier this week, NBCUniversal announced its return to upfront week on May 15 at Radio City Music Hall. This will be the first upfront without Molen at the helm since she and Marshall began overseeing negotiations in 2019. The pair were joined by Krishan Bhatia, president and chief business officer of global advertising and partnerships, to head up the 2021 and 2022 negotiations. In the short-term, Bhatia and Marshall are expected to divvy up Molen's duties, according to a source. Unlike several recent executive shakeups throughout the TV industry, including those at Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery, leaving was entirely Molen's decision. Among her accomplishments, Molen helped introduce Peacock to the marketplace, speaking with Adweek when the platform turned two in July. According to Molen, she was proudest of the platform putting an emphasis on advertising and prioritizing its partners. “We’ve been proving that, with Peacock, the best premium content and advertising can really both live alongside one another and thrive. And so, I think if there was one headline, that—to me—is the proudest accomplishment we have,” she said.

Programming & Performance

NBCU Ad Sales President Laura Molen Stepping Down After 10 Years

She has co-led upfront negotiations since 2019, and will stay on through the first quarter

Bill Bradley

About

Subscriptions

Events

Publications

WORK SMARTER - LEARN, GROW AND BE INSPIRED.

Subscribe today!

Bill Bradley