A former Paramount Global executive who was abruptly placed on leave last year has decided to launch his own consulting firm.

This week, Raffaele Annecchino announced the launch of Blue Ocean Media Partners, a media and entertainment consulting firm based in Europe. In a statement, Annecchino said the firm will focus on offering corporate strategy, international expansion and partnership advice to entertainment clients.

“Our main objective is to support companies to achieve long-term growth and financial sustainability during these evolving times,” Annecchino said.

One of his first strategic partners is Mediapro Group, an entertainment business based in Spain that is expanding to the Middle East.

“We are thrilled to partner with Mediapro Group to boost the entirety of its business offerings in the Middle East, one of the most thriving markets globally,” Annecchino said.

Annecchino was appointed to serve as Paramount Global’s CEO of its international businesses in 2020, reporting directly to Paramount CEO Robert Bakish and overseeing the expansion of linear TV channels and the streaming services Paramount Plus, Pluto TV and Sky Showtime.

Two years later, he took an abrupt leave of absence from the company. He departed Paramount about a month after his leave began. Neither Paramount nor Annecchino have spoken openly about the circumstances surrounding his leave.

His departure capped a career at Paramount that spanned more than two decades. Annecchino joined the company in 1997 when it was known as National Amusements. Before that, he worked as an executive for Turner International, overseeing the distribution of its cable channels overseas, including CNN and Cartoon Network.