Rahwa Ghebre-Ab has been promoted to EVP and Chief Human Resources Officer of Lionsgate effective May 1.
Ghebre-Ab will oversee the company’s worldwide human resource ops in the U.S., Canada, the UK and India, and she will serve on Lionsgate’s Executive Management and Operating Committees, reporting to CEO Jon Feltheimer.
Ghebre-Ab succeeds Ross Pollack, who will retire after serving as the Company’s highly-regarded CHRO since June 2014.
“Rahwa is a rising star who has impressed everyone with her career trajectory and mastery of a wide range of disciplines. Her expertise and problem-solving ability make her a great fit for our entrepreneurial culture and a valuable addition to our leadership team,” said Feltheimer. “Ross has played an important role in helping the Company navigate the pandemic, two strikes and unprecedented industry disruption, and his warmth, compassion and integrity have earned him the respect and affection of everyone with whom he has worked. We thank him for more than a decade of valuable contributions to our studio.”
In her new role, Ghebre-Ab takes oversight of Lionsgate’s talent acquisition, employee development and succession planning programs, and she will shape and execute human resources policies that align with organizational goals and priorities. Ghebre-Ab will manage the rollout of global compensation and benefits strategies as well as help to shape Lionsgate’s workplace environment and corporate culture in a fast-changing world.
Ghebre-Ab began her 11-year career at Lionsgate as head of the studio’s Employment Law Group. She served as the employment legal lead on all corporate acquisitions during this time and helped direct legal and employment matters related to Lionsgate’s launch of offices in Toronto, Canada, Beijing, China, and Mumbai, India. She also partnered with Human Resources on Lionsgate’s corporate and production response to the pandemic. In 2021, she was promoted to become the studio’s first-ever Chief Ethics & Legal Compliance Officer, with the added responsibility of overseeing and further developing the Company’s data privacy, ethics and compliance programs.
A graduate of the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor and the University of Chicago Law School, Ghebre-Ab began her career as an employment law litigator at the law firm of Baker Mckenzie in Chicago.
During his tenure as CHRO, Pollack and his team rolled out a broad range of employee benefits initiatives, reward programs and health and wellness programs. Employee participation in Employee Resource Groups has more than doubled in the past three years. He helped Lionsgate navigate the pandemic and was a key player in Lionsgate’s acquisition and integration of STARZ, eOne and Pilgrim Media Group (now Lionsgate Alternative Television).
