Warner Bros Discovery hires legal chief from American Airlines

Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) has hired Priya Aiyar as chief legal officer, effective next month. She will report to CEO David Zaslav.

Aiyar will join WBD from American Airlines, where she has been CLO since 2022. In that role she has overseen the company’s legal affairs and strategies globally and has overseen labor relations. According to a WBD announcement, Aiyar played a key role in American Airlines’ navigation of the Covid-19 pandemic and helped reach new contracts with the company’s unionized work groups. According to her LinkedIn profile, she joined the airline in 2019 as senior vice president and general counsel.

Aiyar was previously a partner with law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher. Between 2013 and 2017 she was the acting general counsel and deputy general counsel for the US Department of the Treasury and earlier was deputy general counsel for the environment and nuclear programs at the US Department of Energy. She was also deputy chief counsel for the national commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill and offshore drilling. Before moving into government she was a partner with Kellogg, Hansen, Todd, Figel & Frederick.

She began her legal career as a clerk to Judge Merrick Garland of the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit and then to Justice Stephen Breyer of the US Supreme Court.

Zaslav says in a statement: ‘There has never been a more important moment for WBD and our industry to have the brightest minds, most experienced practitioners and proven leaders, and Priya personifies those traits.

‘[Her] wealth of knowledge and strategic capabilities will help us to smartly navigate the opportunities and ongoing evolution ahead this year and beyond as we pursue global growth in streaming, a return to excellence at our studios and optimization of our linear business.’