Less than a year after taking over as head of Canadian production, Anne-Marie Varner has exited CanWest to be exec producer of in-house programming at Discovery Channel.

Varner will oversee Discovery programs including its flagship, Daily Planet, and projects at its in-house production company Exploration Production.

Formerly head of specialty and daytime programs at CanWest-owned Global, Varner moved up last fall following the dismissal of her predecessor Lauren Mawhinney. Varner was among the execs – together with Adam Ivers, Don Gaudet and Adam Haight – who formed Global Labs, the in-house effort to bring more domestic programming to Global and its CH sister stations. Global Labs worked on Falcon Beach, The Jane Show and War of the Wheels.

Her departure follows a wave of changes at CanWest and its TV outlets, which are looking to turn around a multi-season losing streak against CTV. CanWest Media Works jettisoned Rick Camilleri as its president in June, replacing him with Rick Viner. Gaudet is now programming manager at SunTV, formerly Toronto 1.

Earlier this month, CanWest also spun off most of its newspaper and interactive holdings into an income fund.