Bryan Castellani appointed Chief Financial Officer for Warner Music Group

Warner Music Group has appointed Bryan Castellani as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, effective October 16.

Described as a “seasoned media and financial executive”, Castellani has spent more than two decades at The Walt Disney Company, most recently serving as CFO for Disney Entertainment & ESPN.

Based in New York, Castellani will report to WMG’s CEO, Robert Kyncl.

He succeeds WMG’s long-time CFO Eric Levin, who WMG says is staying on to “ensure a smooth transition”, before retiring in January. Levin confirmed in March that he was planning to retire from the company.

Prior to being named CFO for Disney Entertainment & ESPN, Castellani was EVP of Finance for Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution (DMED) where he led finance for the segment as well as for its platform distribution, advertising sales, and networks businesses.

Before that, he served as EVP & CFO of ESPN, where, according to the announcement, “he oversaw the network’s financial planning, strategy, and real estate functions, and played a key role in programming, affiliate, and new business initiatives”.

Previously, Castellani was SVP of Corporate Financial Planning & Analysis for The Walt Disney Company, where he worked closely with the segment CFO teams, corporate strategy, and investor relations in managing company-wide operating and planning functions.

During his tenure at The Walt Disney Company, Castellani held numerous other financial and operational leadership roles, including SVP of Operations, Business Planning & Strategy for ABC News; VP & CFO of The Walt Disney Company Japan; and Head of Finance & Planning for Disney Consumer Products Japan.

In addition, he previously led finance and planning at ABC News, the ABC Internet Group, and The Disney Store Japan, where he also ran its marketing and promotions team. Castellani started with Disney in 1995 as a financial analyst for The Disney Store.

Prior to joining The Walt Disney Company, Castellani worked in international finance at the Federal Reserve Board in Washington, D.C.

“Bryan has wide-ranging experience helping one of the world’s most impactful creative enterprises build long-term value and unlock new global possibilities.”

Robert Kyncl

Robert Kyncl said: “Bryan has wide-ranging experience helping one of the world’s most impactful creative enterprises build long-term value and unlock new global possibilities.

“A dynamic, operational CFO, he’ll be an excellent…