Discovery Communications has appointed Jonathan Davies as managing director, advertiser partnerships for Eurosport and Discovery Pan-Europe.

In this newly created position, Davies will lead both the Eurosport pan-regional and Discovery International ad sales teams across Europe.

Davies will be responsible for maximizing the commercial value of the joint Eurosport and Discovery portfolio which includes global brands Discovery Channel, TLC and Animal Planet, as well as building partnerships with advertisers, sponsors, sports federations, distributors and content producers.

He will work closely with the regional advertising leads and Discovery Presidents across Europe, reporting into Peter Hutton, CEO Eurosport.

Hutton said: “Charged with unlocking the commercial value of the joint Eurosport and Discovery offering, [Davies] will lend his expertise to strengthen our partnerships and secure advertising deals across multiple markets.”

Davies said: “With an average of ten channels in each market, Discovery Communications has unmatched distribution, market leading brands and 30 years’ experience as a global media company. I am excited to work with such powerful media brands and look forward to driving new growth opportunities for Discovery Communications.”

Davies has gained over 25 years’ experience within the media industry across both media owners and agencies.

Before joining Discovery Communications, he spent 12 years at CNN, most recently as EVP CNN International where he was responsible for global adsales, commercial programme production and marketing.

Prior to CNN he spent 13 successful years with leading advertising and media agencies including: Saatchi & Saatchi; Ogilvy & Mather and Mindshare, where he held the position of managing partner.

Dividing his time between Paris and London, Davies will assume his new role with immediate effect.