Viacom adds M&A expert to ranks

US media giant Viacom has appointed a mergers and acquisitions specialist to its ranks.

Alex Berkett has been named senior VP, corporate development, reporting to CFO Wade Davis.

He will lead Viacom’s global corporate development and M&A activity, working with senior executives on partnerships, joint ventures and investments, advising and leading negotiations.

Berkett joins fro Townsquare Media, a publicly-held company he co-founded five years ago.

At Townsquare he was executive VP, overseeing corporate development, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, investor relations and a variety of other senior functions.

“Viacom is committed to continued investment in key areas of growth, and Alex’s deep knowledge of media, strong transactional track record and entrepreneurial background make him the right choice to expand our capabilities in new and exciting ways,” said Davis.

Viacom, which owns channels such as Nickelodeon, Jerey Shore broadcaster MTV and Comedy Central and UK broadcaster Channel 5, went through a period of significant restructuring in the early part of 2015, with key programming execs such as Larry Jones and Van Toffler leaving as a result.