Neal Kirsch
Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer
Neal Kirsch joined OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network as COO and CFO in March 2012. In his position, Mr. Kirsch is responsible for financial management, business development, and the day-to-day business operations of the network.
Mr. Kirsch came to OWN from Discovery Communications where he had served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Discovery's 14 U.S. networks since 2003. As the EVP, CFO, Mr. Kirsch was responsible for all financial planning and analysis, budgeting, forecasting, and accounting for the US Networks division -- a $2.5 billion per year revenue business. He led negotiations on financial terms of Discovery's service agreements for OWN and Hasbro joint ventures, as well as on Discovery's buy-out of Cox Communications' 25% equity stake in exchange for cash and the Travel Channel.
Mr. Kirsch joined Discovery Communications in 1994, as a project manager in network operations for the company's international division. During his eighteen-year tenure at Discovery, Mr. Kirsch worked his way up to VP, Controller and then to SVP, CFO of Discovery Networks International, before taking the role of EVP, CFO for Discovery's U.S. Networks division in 2003.
A native of Kensington, MD, Mr. Kirsch holds a Bachelor of Science in Management from Tulane University, and a Masters in Business Administration from Stern School of Business, at New York University. He splits his time between Washington DC and Los Angeles.