Fox reshuffles Nat Geo Partners pack

Several National Geographic Partners executives will change roles after an international restructure.

This follows 21^st Century Fox taking control of its joint venture with the National Geographic Society and the establishment of National Geographic Partners.

Two changes see Fox Networks Group’s general manager for Mexico, Lorenzo Orozco (below, right) named NGP’s GM and senior VP for Latin America; and Fox Networks Group Asia Pacific’s VP, partnerships, Con Apostolopoulos  (below, left) becoming GM and VP, Asia Pacific and Middle East.

Current FNG executive VP Deborah Armstrong (above right) has added responsibilities for NGP in Europe and Africa, while Whit Higgins, previously VP of business development and global programming at NGP predecessor National Geographic Channels International, has been upped to SVP, strategic planning and business development. Carlyn Staudt (above left), formerly SVP at NGCI, has been named SVP, content partnerships,

“As we reviewed our current footprint, we felt it was important to build a strong foundation in our regional markets, so that we could approach the marketplace in a more integrated, consolidated way. These appointments will provide us talent on the ground to help us accomplish that goal,” said NGP COO Wade Platt.

Orozco, who doubled Fox’s revenues in Mexico in four years and launched digital business Fox+ Broadband, will be based in Mexico City and report to FNG Latin America COO Edgar Spielmann and Platt at NGP.

Astolopoulos will report to Rohit D’Silva, FNG Asia Pacific and Middle East’s EVP, commercial in Asia, Platt, and work out of Hong Kong.

Higgins, who has worked as GM of Fox International Channels Finland and other roles at the now-discontinued FIC group, will be based in Washington, DC, while Armstrong, who has been with Nat Geo since 1998, will remain in London.

The appointments come after significant restructuring at NGP, which followed Fox becoming its main shareholder last year in a US$725 million deal. This cost around 9% of the 2,000-strong staff their jobs.