Banijay Rights Names CFO As John Wagener Exits After 20 Years

The final piece of the Banijay Rights jigsaw is in place with John Richards named CFO of the combined sales operation.

With that, John Wagener, All3Media International‘s long-serving CFO and COO, is exiting after two decades with All3Media International.

Richards will oversee finance for the combined Banijay Rights-All3Media International sales outfit, which now has a catalog of more than 250,000 hours including Peaky Blinders, Big Brother and MasterChef. The newly-merged sales company was formed after the Banijay-All3Media merger and is led by Cathy Payne.

Deadline understands Wagener made his decision earlier this year and he did not leave as part of the recent redundancy consultation process kickstarted by the merger. That process has seen high-profile Banijay Rights and All3Media International sales execs leave including Simon Cox, Claire Jago, Maartje Horchner, Nick Smith and Rachel Glaister. It set out senior team just before MIPCOM.

In a note to staff, seen by Deadline, Richards, who has been with Banijay for a decade, was called an “invaluable member of the team and the wider group” by Payne. “With a new team already in-place, the catalogue combined and the back office and systems slowly coming together, it feels like we have speedily landed in a great place,” she added. “In John we have a fantastically talented and strategic leader. He knows the content business inside out, always has a firm grasp on our balance sheets, and plays a key role in our growth.”

The day prior, All3Media boss Jane Turton told staff Wagener would be exiting, as she hailed an executive who had “made a huge contribution to the All3Media business.”

Wagener added: “The merger between Banijay and All3Media presented a positive opportunity for me to explore new challenges, and ultimately, embark on the next stage of my career. I would like to thank all the colleagues and clients I have worked with during my time at All3MI.”

Wagener joined All3Media International in 2006 to lead the finance team. Following the sale of the group to Liberty Global and Discovery in 2014, he was promoted to COO and CFO and more recently joined the Group Senior Executive Committee after the sale to Redbird IMI in 2024.

The newly mega-merged Banijay always said it would prioritize “eliminating duplication” in distribution and sales as it seeks €50M ($56.8M) in synergies within 12 months of the deal closing. All3Media International CEO Louise Pedersen exited soon after the deal was revealed.