Los Angeles – October 06, 2026 -- Skydance Corporation (NYSE: SKYD) has named Laurene Powell Jobs and Bobby Kotick as independent directors and former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair as a board advisor, effective immediately, following the merger of Paramount with Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. (NASDAQ: WBD).
David Ellison retains chairman and CEO roles atop the newly combined board
Ellison will continue to chair the Skydance board and serve as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the combined entity. The reconstituted board retains all current Paramount directors and adds three new members: Skydance Co-CEO Ynon Kreiz, Emerson Collective founder Laurene Powell Jobs, and Activision founder Bobby Kotick, with Powell Jobs and Kotick designated as independent directors.
Kotick's Activision tenure included a $68.7 billion sale to Microsoft
Kotick led Activision for 32 years, overseeing its merger with Vivendi Games and the eventual $68.7 billion sale of Activision Blizzard to Microsoft, the largest transaction in video game industry history. Skydance cited his record of pairing strategic moves with disciplined capital allocation as central to its rationale for the appointment.
Blair joins in a personal capacity as the board's sole outside advisor
Blair, Executive Chairman of the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, will advise the board in a personal capacity. The institute focuses on helping governments navigate policy in the age of AI.
Thirteen directors now sit on the combined Skydance board
The full director slate includes David Ellison, Barbara Byrne (former Vice Chairman, Barclays PLC), Andy Campion (Chairman and CEO, Unrivaled Sports), Gerry Cardinale (Founder and CIO, RedBird Capital Partners), Safra A. Catz (Executive Vice Chair and former CEO, Oracle), Andy Gordon (President, Skydance), Justin G. Hamill (Chief Legal Officer, Silver Lake), Laurene Powell Jobs, Bobby Kotick, Ynon Kreiz, Sherry Lansing (former Chairman and CEO, Paramount Pictures), Paul Marinelli (President, Lawrence Investments) and John L. Thornton (Chairman, RedBird Capital Partners).
"Bobby led a global entertainment company through three decades of sustained growth, and he brings real perspective on building enduring franchises and connecting with fans," Ellison said, adding that the appointments bring "the experience and fresh perspectives we need to build Skydance into an extraordinary company."