Paramount Skydance has appointed finance chief Dennis Cinelli as chief financial officer, and his appointment comes as the company is in the midst of a hostile takeover bid for Warner Bros. Discovery.
Cinelli, who most recently served as CFO of artificial intelligence company Scale AI, joined Paramount’s board in September 2025, shortly after David Ellison’s Skydance Media completed its acquisition of Paramount Global. He resigned from his position as director to join Paramount Skydance as CFO, effective January 15, 2026.
In the CFO role, Mr. Cinelli replaces Andrew Warren, who has served as EVP and Interim CFO since June 2025. Warren will continue to serve as a strategic advisor to Paramount’s senior management team, Paramount said.
Paramount also announced that Andrew Campion, chairman and CEO of Unrivaled Sports and a former executive at Nike and Disney, will be added to the company’s board of directors as an independent director, effective January 13.
Cinelli will take the CFO job at Paramount Skydance as Ellison launches a campaign aimed at convincing Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders that the company’s all-cash offer of $30 a share for all of WBD is better than Netflix’s deal to acquire Warner Bros. studios and streaming operations. Paramount is suing WBD for disclosure of financial details related to the Netflix deal and says it plans to launch a proxy fight by nominating directors to be elected at Warner Bros. Discovery’s 2026 shareholder meeting. Netflix is reportedly preparing an amended offer to acquire the WBD assets in an all-cash deal to counter Paramount’s pressure campaign.
At Scale AI, Mr. Cinelli oversaw the company’s rapid revenue growth and strategic financing, including an investment by Meta that valued the company at nearly $30 billion. Previously, he served as Uber’s head of mobility in the U.S. and Canada and was “instrumental” in taking the company public, Paramount said. Prior to joining Uber, Cinelli served as CFO at GE Ventures.
“I have known Dennis for many years and greatly respect his financial acumen and tremendous track record of guiding high-growth technology companies, including GE Ventures, Uber, and Scale AI, through periods of scale and transformation,” Paramount Chairman and CEO David Ellison said in announcing Cinelli’s appointment. “He brings deep expertise across direct-to-consumer, media and industrial sectors, as well as AI and other disruptive technologies, and will be a great addition to our leadership team as we continue to drive growth and innovation.”
Mr. Cinelli, 42, has signed a five-year employment agreement with Paramount that entitles him to an annual base salary of more than $2.625 million and an annual bonus of $1.125 million, according to the company’s SEC filings. In addition, Cinelli will be granted 3.75 million shares of Paramount Skydance Class B common stock to be distributed equally quarterly over five years. Cinelli will also receive a special one-time signing bonus of $500,000 and will be eligible for up to $500,000 in reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with his relocation from the San Francisco Bay Area to Los Angeles.
Mr. Campion, a new member of Paramount Skydance’s board of directors, spent 17 years at Nike, where he held senior positions including COO, CFO and global head of strategy. Prior to that, he spent 11 years at the Walt Disney Company, most recently serving as senior vice president of corporate development.
“Andy brings extensive experience in building and scaling large and complex organizations, having served as a senior executive and director of some of the world’s most iconic companies, including Nike, The Walt Disney Company, and Starbucks,” Ellison said. “His expertise and strong track record in driving growth, innovation and operational excellence make him an ideal addition to our board, and we look forward to benefiting from his strategic perspective and leadership.”
