Paramount Global top communications veteran Julia Phelps, who most recently served as executive vp, chief communications and corporate marketing officer of the entertainment conglomerate, will be leaving the company at the end of the month.The departure of Phelps, who has been known as a strategic and collaborative executive, comes after the exit of CEO Bob Bakish, who was replaced by an Office of the CEO, and at a time when the future of Paramount remains in industry focus. The sector giant, controlled by Shari Redstone’s National Amusements, has been in talks about a potential sale to David Ellison’s Skydance Media, as well as Sony with Apollo Global Management.Phelps served in increasingly senior roles at Paramount Global, previously known as ViacomCBS, and its predecessors. She rose to a top communications role at Viacom, which merged with CBS Corp. in late 2019. She oversaw Paramount’s communications team through the Viacom-CBS merger, the launch of Paramount+, and the corporate rebrand to Paramount Global. Among the initiatives she developed with her team was Spark, a global expansion of BET’s Content for Change campaign, and the establishment of cross-company marketing and publicity functions.“In two decades and across multiple roles, I’ve been lucky to work with the very best all around the world,” Phelps said in an internal memo obtained by The Hollywood Reporter. “I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve done together to tell our story, spotlight our creativity, drive the transformation of our business in a time of unprecedented change, and build our culture.”She added: “Seemingly every minute I’ve been in this role we’ve had a massive job on our plate — the Viacom/CBS merger and integration, the launch of Paramount+, the rebrand to Paramount Global, and the navigation of the pandemic into the new world of hybrid work, to name just a few.”Phelps didn’t immediately address her future plans.
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