Banijay Rights names CFO as John Wagener exits

Banijay Rights has named John Richards as its CFO, with long-serving All3Media International equivalent and COO John Wagener stepping down.

The rejig, which follows the acquisition of All3 by Banijay earlier this year, will see Wagener exit at the end of the year, bringing an end to his two-decade long tenure with All3MI.

The exec joined All3MI in 2006 and had reported into All3MI’s former chief exec Louise Pedersen, who has also left the business with Cathy Payne taking on her remit at atop of Banijay Rights.

He worked on the sale of the group to Liberty Global and Discovery in 2014, before being promoted to COO and CFO. More recently he joined the group senior executive committee after the sale of All3 to Redbird IMI in 2024.

Richards, meanwhile, has worked with Payne for a decade, initially at Endemol Shine Group and more recently at Banijay Rights. The distribution unit does not have a COO.

Wagener’s departure is understood not to be connected to the recent consultation process that saw a swathe of execs leave the business as Banijay and All3’s sales arms combined.

In a note to staff, Payne described Richards as a “fantastically talented and strategic leader” who “knows the content business inside out, always has a firm grasp on our balance sheets, and plays a key role in our growth.”

Payne added: “With a new team already in-place, the catalogue combined and the back office and systems slowly coming together, it feels like we have speedily landed in a great place.”

Banijay Entertainment deputy chief exec, Jane Turton, thanked Wagener, describing him as “an innovator who has led a team and developed the business through significant changes in the way that shows are distributed and commercialised.”

She added: “He has always had a very positive and forward-looking approach and has been a great colleague and an invaluable member of the senior leadership team. I would like to thank him on behalf of everyone across the business and wish him all the very best in his future career.”

Wagener, whose next move is not yet known, said: “It’s been a privilege to spend the last 20 years building a highly successful business on the global stage, and thanks to great colleagues along the way, it’s also been a lot of fun.”