Philippe Pierre Dauman (born March 1, 1954) is the former Chairman, CEO, and President of Viacom. He held the position from September 2006 and was known as a close associate of the company’s chairman, Sumner Redstone. From 1994 to 2000, Dauman served on Viacom’s Executive Committee and as Executive Vice President, overseeing strategic operations, legal and governmental affairs, human resources, and administration. He also supervised Paramount Pictures Entertainment, Showtime Networks, and Simon & Schuster. Until September 2006, Dauman was also a board director at CBS Corporation, controlled by Redstone.
On February 4, 2016, Viacom’s board of directors announced that Dauman would succeed Sumner Redstone as Chairman of Viacom.
Dauman was born and raised in New York City, the son of French immigrants. His father, Henri Dauman, was a photographer. While attending Yale University, he met the sister of his roommate, who later became his wife. Philippe Dauman married Deborah Ross in September 1977.
In 2009, Dauman and Viacom launched the educational initiative Get Schooled in partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The program aimed to reduce dropout rates in U.S. public schools. He also hosted the Get Schooled conference on September 8, 2009.
Dauman serves on the board of directors of Lafarge and is a member of the board of the KIPP Foundation, a national network of free, open-enrollment college-preparatory public schools in underserved communities. He is also a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Business Roundtable, and the Executive Committee of the National Cable & Telecommunications Association. Additionally, he serves on the boards of The Paley Center for Media, the North Shore–Long Island Jewish Health System Foundation, the Executive Committee of Lenox Hill Hospital, and both the Board of Visitors and Dean’s Council at Columbia Law School.
Dauman took a firm stance on the issue of content reproduction rights when Viacom sued YouTube in March 2007. He held discussions on copyright matters with YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley and expressed interest in reaching an agreement. However, Dauman and Hurley were unable to agree on advertising terms.