Patrick Gates is Executive Vice President of the Consumer Direct division of Discovery Commerce, the retail and licensing arm of Discovery Communications Inc. He spearheads ways to grow DiscoveryÁs merchandise business in direct-to-consumer retail channels å e-commerce, t-commerce and emerging digital platforms. Patrick is a seasoned retail and e-commerce executive, bringing nearly 20 years of experience to Discovery. He joined the company from AOL Time Warner where, for six years, he led all of AOLÁs e-commerce and merchandising initiatives, holding the title of Senior Vice President, E-Commerce on his departure from AOL. His background also includes roles at Home Shopping Network as Senior Vice President, Marketing and Senior Vice President Programming; Q2/QVC Inc., as Divisional Merchandise Manager; and positions with BarneyÁs New York and Neiman Marcus. DiscoveryÁs retail channels include a nationwide chain of Discovery Channel Stores, a seasonal Discovery Channel Store catalog, discoverystore.com and direct-to-consumer businesses, and strategic third-party retail and merchandising partnerships.