Turner International’s Bird Flies to Disney

Andy Bird will join The Walt Disney Co. as president of Walt Disney International effective Jan. 12, the company announced Wednesday.

Bird had been president of Turner Broadcasting System International.

He will be responsible for coordinating and overseeing growth opportunities for Disney outside of the United States, as well as for targeting new businesses, growing and increasing penetration of existing businesses and leading the development of business and operations in emerging markets.

Bird has been with Time Warner Inc. for nearly a decade, joining in 1994 as senior vice president and general manager of Turner Entertainment Networks Ltd., the TBS Europe arm that produced Cartoon Network, which he helped to expand to 13 channels across Europe from one.