Ken Jautz, a 36-year veteran of CNN who has been part of its leadership team, will depart at the end of the year. CNN Worldwide CEO Mark Thompson said in a memo to staffers that Jautz “has decided he is ready for a new chapter.

Longtime CNN executive Ken Jautz is exiting the network after 36 years. “Ken has decided he is ready for a new chapter and will depart CNN at the end of the year,” CEO Mark Thompson told employees in a memo to staff on Wednesday. “It is difficult to capture the impact Ken has had on our brand.”

Ken Jautz, a key senior CNN executive who played a critical role in both making the news giant run properly and developing some of its best known personalities, will leave the Warner Bros, Discovery operation by year’s end.