Anne Sweeney joins Netflix board

Former Disney-ABC president Anne Sweeney and Microsoft exec Brad Smith have joined Netflix’s board.

Now on Netflix: Sweeney

The appointments bring Netflix’s total number of directors to nine and the US streamer said Sweeney and Smith would “expand the breadth of its global and entertainment experience.”

“We look forward to benefitting from Brad and Anne’s perspective as we continue to build our global Internet TV network,” said Reed Hastings, Netflix co-founder and chief executive.
Sweeney is known as one of the most powerful and respected female executives in Hollywood.

Before leaving her job in January, she oversaw Walt Disney Company divisions including the ABC broadcast network, ABC Studios, the ABC Owned Television Stations Group, cable channel ABC Family and Disney Channels Worldwide.

Smith has been Microsoft’s general counsel since 2002 after joining the software giant in 1993.

The other members of Netflix’s board are: Hastings, chairman of the board; Richard Barton, co-founder and executive chairman of Zillow; A George (Skip) Battle, an independent investor who was previously CEO of Ask Jeeves; Timothy Haley, MD of venture-capital firm Redpoint Ventures; Jay Hoag, general partner of VC firm Technology Crossover Ventures; Leslie Kilgore, previously Netflix’s chief marketing officer; and Ann Mather, former chief financial officer of Pixar Studios.