In this articleWBDFollow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNTWarner Bros. Discovery Chief Financial Officer Gunnar Wiedenfels walks to a session at the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference on July 9, 2025 in Sun Valley, Idaho.Kevin Dietsch | Getty ImagesBy day, Gunnar Wiedenfels is the chief financial officer of Warner Bros. Discovery and the CEO-elect of Discovery Global, one half of the soon-to-be-split company.In his off hours, Wiedenfels is a beekeeper.The media executive picked up apiculture with his children as a way to soften their fears about insects. He called it “an unforgettable experience” and a great life lesson. It’s also provided holiday gifts of honey for his colleagues.”Although it has been frustrating at times to just keep these hives surviving,” Wiedenfels told CNBC in an interview, “one of the greatest lessons with bees is you have to keep calm. Never try inspecting your hives when stressed or in a rush. It won’t end well. The same hive, when approached 15 minutes later in peace, may be the most welcome.”Wiedenfels said the same wisdom applies to his day job and his next step.In June, Warner Bros. Discovery announced its intention to split into two public companies, effectively reversing the merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery three years ago. Wiedenfels will take the helm of Discovery Global, the company that will house WBD’s TV networks including CNN, HGTV and TNT.The streaming and studio assets of Warner Bros. Discovery, to be renamed Warner Bros., will be run by current CEO David Zaslav. Both companies will trade publicly by mid-2026, according to corporate filings.The separation puts Wiedenfels in the CEO seat for the first time to lead a company with one of the largest portfolios of cable networks in the U.S. His financial background and recent initiatives at WBD have earned Wiedenfels a reputation as a shrewd decision-maker focused on the numbers.”I think with Gunnar, he’s the cost-cutting guy. He’s the hard-nosed accountant, cost-focused, cost-cutter,” said John Hodulik, an analyst at UBS. “And that’s what this business is going to need. His job is to stay ahead of the declines on the cost side, and frankly, he’s perfect for it.”Gunnar Wiedenfels became a beekeeper as part of a hobby with his children. He gave out the honey as holiday gifts to colleagues.Courtesy: Gunnar WiedenfelsAfter the 2022 merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery, Wiedenfels had to contend with a debt load that initially totaled $56 billion. It’s since been cut down to roughly $35 billion.”We’ve come a very long way over these 3½ years,” Wiedenfels said.Colleagues from across the Warner Bros. Discovery business said in a series of interviews that Wiedenfels has done more than cut budgets, however. He’s also been integral to investment, growth and preparing the business to be split into two viable companies.He takes the helm at a pivotal moment for media, as yearslong declines in pay TV customers show signs of stabilization and a rebalancing of priorities brings a new crop of decision-makers like Wiedenfels to the fore.Turning Discovery Global into an investor darling won’t be easy. Warner Bros. Discovery shares have fallen more than 50% since the April 2022 merger, largely because shareholders viewed …
