US media giant Paramount Skydance Corporation has hired Makan Delrahim as chief legal officer, replacing interim CLO Stephanie Kyoko McKinnon.
Delrahim joins from Latham & Watkins, where he was a partner in its antitrust and competition practice and was a key advisor to Skydance on its acquisition of Paramount. At Paramount Skydance, he will oversee all legal, regulatory, compliance and public policy matters for the business, as well as its government relations team. He will take up his new role on 6 October.
Los Angeles-based Paramount Skydance Corporation was formed this year following Skydance’s purchase of Paramount, which owns media brands such as Paramount Pictures, streaming service Paramount+, CBS Entertainment, MTV, Nickelodeon and Showtime.
David Ellison, chairman and CEO of Paramount, said: “[Delrahim’s] longstanding collaboration with the Skydance team gives him a unique perspective and provides a strong foundation for our work together as we pursue our vision for the future of Paramount.
“Makan brings a strategic mindset and a strong track record of navigating complex, cross-sector challenges – qualities that will be instrumental as we shape the next chapter of Paramount and deliver sustained value to our investors, partners and audiences.”
Delrahim exits Latham after three and a half years, having previously worked as a government lawyer, first in the White House as deputy counsel to the president during Donald Trump’s first term in officer, and then as an assistant attorney general in the US Department of Justice’s antitrust division.
Prior to that spell in government, Delrahim spent more than a decade as a partner at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck following an earlier stint in the DOJ as a deputy assistant AG and as chief counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee. He started his legal career as an associate at legacy firm Patton Boggs.
He said: “I’m honoured to join Paramount at such a dynamic and transformative time for the media industry. This is a sector where business, technology and culture converge in increasingly complex ways, creating both challenges and extraordinary opportunities.
“Throughout my career, I’ve worked at the intersection of law, policy and innovation, and I look forward to contributing that experience as part of Paramount’s world-class leadership team. I’m excited to support the company as it continues to lead, evolve and ultimately help shape the future of entertainment.”
McKinnon, meanwhile, will return to her role as Paramount’s general counsel, reporting to Delrahim. McKinnon joined Skydance in 2020 from VICE Media, where she was deputy GC. She started her legal career at Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison.
Prior to Paramount’s eventual sale to Skydance, Paramount terminated the contract of its GC Christa d’Alimonte in June 2024 shortly after merger talks between the two companies initially collapsed when Paramount’s controlling shareholder Shari Redstone backed out of the deal.
Merger talks soon resumed, however, with the deal ultimately closing in August this year.
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