Liberty Media Corporation has announced John C Malone will transition to chairman emeritus.
Longstanding chairman of the board of directors, Dr Malone will step down from the role with effect from January 1st 2026, becoming chairman emeritus of Liberty Media.
The position will be taken over by current vice chairman, Robert R “Dob” Bennett, who has been in post since January 1st this year. Joining Liberty as one of the founding executives in 1991, Bennett has held several executive roles and served as president and CEO of the corporation between 1997 and 2005.
Following Dr. Malone’s resignation, the board will comprise eight directors, five of which will be independent. Dob Bennett, Derek Chang and Chase Carey will form the executive committee.
Commenting, Malone said, “Founding Liberty Media and serving as its chairman has been among the most rewarding experiences of my professional life. With the successful simplification of our portfolio in recent years and our operating businesses in positions of strength, I believe it is an appropriate time to step back from certain of my obligations, and I am very pleased to have Dob Bennett, my partner and colleague of 35 years, stepping into the chairman role. Dob has been involved in all key decisions throughout Liberty Media’s history, and I am confident that Liberty is well-positioned for the future. I look forward to remaining actively engaged as a large Liberty shareholder and a strategic advisor to our management and Board.”
Incoming chairman of the board, Bennett, said, “I want to thank John for more than three decades of partnership and mentorship. His legacy as a visionary business leader is without parallel and I am deeply grateful for his confidence. I speak for the entire board in thanking John for his extraordinary leadership as our chairman and for his continuing engagement as chairman emeritus,”
Derek Chang, president and CEO of Liberty Media, added, “I share Dob’s respect and appreciation for the privilege of working with John over the years and for the platform he built in Liberty. We look forward to continuing to benefit from John’s partnership as a strategic voice and advisor as we pursue long-term value creation at Liberty Media and focus on sustained growth in our high-quality portfolio of assets.”
As at August 31 2025, Dr Malone beneficially owns approximately 241 thousand shares of Series A Formula One common stock, 2.364 million shares of Series B Formula One common stock and 2.515 million shares of Series C Formula One common stock, representing approximately 49.5 per cent of the voting power of the Formula One common stock, as well as approximately 251 thousand shares of Series A Liberty Live common stock, 2.465 million shares of Series B Liberty Live common stock and 4.314 million shares of Series C Liberty Live common stock, representing approximately 48.9 per cent of the voting power of the Liberty Live common stock.
Liberty Media will host a conference call to discuss 2025 Q3 results on November 5th and its annual Investor Meeting will take place on November 20th.
