Three years ago Warner Bros. named BBC’s Ann Sarnoff as its new CEO. BBC executive Ann Sarnoff was named chief of Warner Bros. on Monday, making her the first woman to head the movie studio in its 96-year history. Her appointment follows the departure in March of Kevin Tsujihara, who stepped down after misconduct allegations.

Sarnoff most recently served as the president of BBC Studios Americas.

But to the surprise of much of the industry, WarnerMedia turned to Sarnoff, who has worked primarily in television. Sarnoff, who takes over as chief executive and chair of Warner Bros., is currently president of BBC Studios Americas. She has previously been a top TV executive at Viacom and with the WNBA.

“She brings a consistent and proven track record of innovation, creativity and business results to lead an incredibly successful studio to its next chapter of growth,” Stankey said. “Ann has shown the ability to innovate and grow revenues and has embraced the evolution taking place in our industry.”