Carl Folta, executive VP of corporate communications for Viacom, has left the media giant after the ouster of CEO Philippe Dauman by the mogul Sumner Redstone and his daughter Shari.
The 22-year Viacom hand joined the media conglomerate as VP of corporate relations for its Paramount unit in 1994 on its merger with Gulf and Western.
Viacom's leadership was up for grabs in a legal showdown between Redstone and 10-year CEO Dauman. The legal case settled with a deal for longtime Viacom exec Thomas Dooley to succeed Dauman atop the company, which has struggled financially.
Dooley in a memo announcing Folta's exit said the PR exec "literally had the hardest job in the company, and he handled it all with grace, skill and a smile."
Folta, who spent years burnishing Redstone's image, was in the awkward position of defending the company and Dauman in its legal salvos against the mogul in recent months.
Redstone's family trust controls Viacom and CBS since his hostile takeover in the mid-1980s.
Business leaders will face challenges in the upcoming year, some of which will come as a complete surprise, or beyond anyone's imagination.
Teneo has hired Philipp Grontzki, who is a 20-year veteran of corporate communications and financial journalism, as a managing director in its strategy and communications group.
Rowan Benecke, who co-founded Zeno Group and helmed Burson-Marsteller's tech practice, has joined McKinsey & Co as director of communications for North America.
BCW has named Golin's Matt Coldagelli EVP and leader of its corporate affairs practice in Chicago.
Abby Bailey, who headed corporate communications for Fedex in its Middle East, India and Africa region, has joined Teneo as managing director in Dubai.
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