Almudena Ledo Linares-Rivas

Senior Vice President and General Manager, Southern Europe

As part of the top-table team at COSMO for two decades, Almudena Ledo Linares-Rivas is an inspiration for a generation of Spanish women. Under her leadership as General Manager, COSMO has become a well-loved brand and a top Pay-TV channel in Spain, overcoming viewer and revenue fluctuations to make the company a profitable player in the Spanish media market. 

The channel launched in 2000, when it introduced the iconic series Sex & the City to the Spanish audience. Today, COSMO is essential viewing for those who want female-driven, exciting, eye-popping content: from addictive entertainment shows and quality European TV series to blockbuster movies and original production with a strong social commitment.

Recognising her immense talent, General Manager of A+E Networks EMEA, Dean Possenniskie, appointed Almudena as Senior Vice President and General Manager of its Southern Europe division, leading the company’s Italian arm too, in July 2021 – a role she combines with COSMO. “Almudena is a great executive, a great leader and a great person with a long and recognised career, so we are delighted that she is taking on this new responsibility," said Dean. 

Besides the portfolio of channels she leads, Almudena has proudly launched three SVOD products – History Play, Crime + Investigation Play and Blaze Play – giving digital fans greater value and choice. 

With a degree in Economics and Business Administration, Almudena is also an expert in auditing and consulting. Before her COSMO career, she was an auditor at Deloitte for five years, working with clients in both the media and advertising industries. She joined the channel in 2002 as Financial Director and was promoted to General Manager in 2014.

At the helm of a vibrant TV brand, Almudena leads a management team of 20. Setting the company’s strategy from its base in Madrid, her main responsibilities have been to negotiate affiliate agreements with Pay-TV platforms, to work with major studios and international distributors, to drive advertising sales, to invest in cinema production, to motivate and retain talented staff and to always seek new business opportunities. 

She is recognised as a responsible and reliable professional with a strong sense of commitment.
And, as an ardent voice in the industry, she was President of CONECTA in 2020, an association of Pay-TV companies in Spain that encourages collaboration between its 32 channels.

It’s one of many areas in the exciting Southern Europe TV market in which Almudena has thrived.