Comcast’s cable spin-off Versant sets up inaugural board of directors

Versant, the Comcast cable spin-off comprising seven channels including USA Network, Syfy and CNBC, has appointed its first board of directors, with prospective CEO Mark Lazarus and former Disney exec Rebecca Campbell among the 10 members.

Mark Lazarus

The Versant company has already been created and is operational, but the spin-off into a separate, publicly traded company is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Lazarus was previously the chairman of NBCUniversal Media Group before taking the role atop Versant and Campbell was formerly the chairman of international content and operations at Disney.

They are joined on the board by execs including former Starbucks North CEO Michael Conway, Wildcat Capital Management founder Len Potter and ex-Peter Millar CEO and chairman Scott Mahoney.

The board also includes Creighton Condon, counsel at the global law firm of A&O Shearman; David Eun, founding advisor to generative artificial intelligence company Kanza AI; Gerald L Hassell, former chairman and CEO of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation; and Maritza Montiel, former deputy CEO and vice chairman of Deloitte and Touche’s US business.

As previously announced, the chairman of the board is David Novak, co-founder and former CEO of Yum! Brands. Novak currently sits on the board of Comcast but will resign once the Versant spin-off is complete.

Lazarus said the appointment of the board marks a “critical milestone as we define our long-term strategy and advance the value of our iconic media portfolio.”

Cable channels MSNBC, Oxygen, E! and Golf Channel will also be part of Versant, as well as digital assets Fandango, Rotten Tomatoes, GolfNow and SportsEngine.