Singapore – Discovery Japan, Inc. has announced that Louis Boswell will be appointed to the role of President & Representative Director. Boswell replaces James Gibbons, who has been appointed Country Manager for emerging business in Discovery’s Central & Eastern Europe, Middle East & Africa (CEEMEA) region, and will relocate from Tokyo to London.

As President & Representative Director, Boswell will be responsible for the strategic direction and management of Discovery’s business initiatives and growth in the Japanese market. He will also relocate from his current base in Singapore to Tokyo. Boswell will join Discovery from AETN All Asia Networks, a joint venture of A&E Networks and ASTRO All Asia Networks, where he was General Manager in Singapore. Boswell has held senior roles with ACNielsen in China, Interactive Audience Measurement Asia Limited (iamasia) which he co-founded, as well as with Discovery, BBC Worldwide and ESPN Star Sports. Boswell had devised market entry strategies as Discovery’s Senior Manager in China from 1995 to 2000.

“Louis is a highly respected industry veteran with a wealth of leadership experience across many Asian markets, and we’re excited to welcome him back to the Discovery family as the head of our Japan business. At the same time, I’d like to thank James for his contribution to the DNAP business, and wish him all the very best as he transitions into his new role in the CEEMEA region,” said Tom Keaveny, President & Managing Director, Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific.

Gibbons’ appointment to Country Manager for Emerging Business in Discovery’s CEEMEA region will see him move to London from Tokyo where he has been responsible for managing Discovery’s operations in Japan for the past five years. In his new role, Gibbons will be responsible for the daily management of the Emerging Business region and its channel brands. He will be based in London to further develop Discovery’s business in Africa, Turkey, the Middle East and Mediterranean. Additionally, Gibbons will oversee Discovery Network’s regional office which opened in Istanbul earlier this year.

Before being head of Discovery in Japan, Gibbons was Senior Vice President of programming for DNAP, responsible for programming and on-air promotional content, as well as regional commissioning, co-production and acquisition activities. Gibbons held news and editorial positions with NTV7 and Astro in Malaysia, Live TV in the UK, and various British regional and national newspapers prior to joining Discovery in 1999.