Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine is shaking up its executive ranks, with Sarah Harden stepping down as CEO, the company announced on Thursday. She will be succeeded by the company’s head of direct-to-consumer Maureen Polo, who currently oversees all social, editorial, marketing, communications and DTC brands.
Harden will remain with the company as an adviser into 2026 to “support the transition and continued strategic growth.”
“I am profoundly grateful to have been Reese’s partner on this beautiful ride,” Harden said in a statement. “Her fearlessness, curiosity, creativity and inspiring bar for excellence have been matched by her decency, humor and warmth – always in service of pushing the boundaries on what we could build together. I know this mission will continue forward under the leadership of Maureen and the rest of our incredible team, which fills me with great pride.”
Polo will work alongside film and TV president Lauren Neustadter and Corey Shepardson, who has been elevated to COO and will run business operations while remaining CFO of the company.
“Sarah Harden’s exceptional leadership and unwavering support laid the foundation for Hello Sunshine’s success,” Witherspoon said. “From our initial meeting, when we discussed our shared values and our passion for storytelling to reach women globally, Sarah’s mentorship and friendship have been invaluable to me. I am so proud of the bold, innovative company we built together with the most talented team. Her belief in my vision made my wildest dreams for this company a reality. As we embark on this new chapter, I am excited for Hello Sunshine’s future and eager to carry the company forward with the same spirit under the leadership of Maureen, Lauren, and our executive team.”
Under Polo’s leadership, Hello Sunshine has expanded its direct-to-consumer offerings through initiatives such as Shine Away, an experiential franchise now in its third year; The Bright Side podcast, which garnered 100,000 downloads in its first 72 hours and reached No. 11 in Apple’s Arts category; Solar, an in-house social agency partnering with major brands; and Sunnie, a Gen Z-focused media and lifestyle brand.
Additionally, Reese’s Book Club has selected 116 books since 2017, with over 90 hitting the New York Times bestseller list while contributing to roughly $800 million in U.S. sales.
Prior to joining Hello Sunshine, Polo led marketing strategy and solutions for Warner Media’s entertainment portfolio, including HBO Max, TBS, truTV, Adult Swim, and Cartoon Network. She also served as general manager at Fullscreen, where she oversaw more than 350 employees and drove strategy across revenue, marketing, creative, production and operations.
“Hello Sunshine’s mission is aligned with my personal passion, and it’s an incredible honor to continue building and scaling this business alongside Reese and our exceptional team,” Polo added. “I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to work with and learn from Sarah for more than a decade, and I’m excited to lead Hello Sunshine into this next chapter.”
Since its founding in 2016, Hello Sunshine has released four films and nine series totaling 14 seasons, earning 112 award nominations and 10 wins of major industry honors, including Emmys, Golden Globes, and Critics Choice Awards.
In addition to Season 4 of “The Morning Show” and Season 2 of “The Last Thing He Told Me,” upcoming projects include Apple TV+’s “Lucky” starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Prime Video’s “Legally Blonde” prequel “Elle,” which already wrapped production on its first season. The TriStar feature adaptation “The Nightingale” is also set to begin shooting in early 2026.
Its film credits include Prime Video’s “You’re Cordially Invited,” which brought in over 50 million viewers worldwide and ranks among Amazon MGM Studios’ top three most-watched comedy films of all time; its first theatrical release, “Where the Crawdads Sing,” which grossed close to $200 million worldwide; and “Something from Tiffany’s” starring Zoey Deutch, which became the No. 1 feature on Prime Video in 52 countries.
Other Hello Sunshine credits include Hulu’s “Little Fires Everywhere,” Apple TV+’s “Surface,” “Truth Be Told,” and “My Kind of Country,” Netflix’s “From Scratch” and “F1: The Academy,” HBO’s “Big Little Lies,” Prime Video’s “Daisy Jones & The Six” and “Surf Girls,” Food Network and Hulu’s “Family Recipe Showdown” and Roku’s “Women’s Sports Now.”
Hello Sunshine reaches 163 million people across its social media properties.
