keynote speakers
Robert m. Bakish
PRESIDENT AND CEO, VIACOM INC.
Bob Bakish is President and Chief Executive Officer of Viacom Inc. He is responsible for growing Viacom’s leading portfolio of global, multi-platform entertainment brands, including BET, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon and the world-renowned Paramount Pictures film and television studio. Viacom’s 200-plus TV channels reach approximately 4.3 billion cumulative subscribers in more than 180 countries, making it the world’s largest entertainment company across TV.
Mr. Bakish is focused on developing new content, expanding distribution of Viacom branded content and pursuing strategic growth opportunities in the company’s core businesses. He was appointed to this role in December 2016 after serving as President and CEO of Viacom International Media Networks since 2007. During this period, Mr. Bakish was responsible for more than doubling VIMN’s revenue and consistently growing its profitability, while guiding a significant international expansion of the company’s entertainment footprint.
In addition, Mr. Bakish built scale for Viacom in high value media markets, overseeing the launch of Paramount Channel – the world’s leading ad-supported movie network – and successfully acquiring large general entertainment networks including Channel 5 in the United Kingdom, Colors in India and Telefe in Argentina. Under his direction, online video consumption of VIMN’s content rapidly accelerated through the launch of Viacom Play Plex and other innovative, mullti-platform products.
Prior to his leadership of VIMN, Mr. Bakish held a series of corporate, sales and development positions at Viacom, joining the company in 1997 after serving as a partner with Booz Allen & Hamilton in its Media and Entertainment practice.
Mr. Bakish has an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School and a B.S. in Operations Research from Columbia’s School of Engineering and Applied Science. He serves on the boards of both schools.
MEREDITH KOPIT LEVIEN
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY
Meredith Kopit Levien was named Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of The New York Times Company in June 2017. Ms. Kopit Levien oversees the teams responsible for digital product, design, audience and brand, consumer revenue, advertising, live events and new product development.
Immediately prior, she was executive vice president and chief revenue officer, a position she held since April 2015. In that role, Ms. Kopit Levien was responsible for the generation of all advertising and subscription revenue from The Times’s products and services and for leadership of the advertising, marketing, video and live event teams. Ms. Kopit Levien joined The Times Company in August 2013 as head of advertising.
She previously served as chief revenue officer at Forbes Media, where she led the North American and European revenue operations for Forbes.com, the Forbes Magazine Group and Forbes Conferences since 2011.
Ms. Kopit Levien began her professional career in 1993 at the Advisory Board Company in Washington, DC., did a two-year stint at digital ad agency and website development firm i33 Communications, and worked in various sales and marketing roles at Atlantic Media Company from 2001 to 2008.
Ms. Kopit Levien is a graduate of the Henry Crown Fellowship at the Aspen Institute, an executive committee member of the board of the Ad Council, on the board of the IAB, and a co-chair of the Lincoln Center Media and Entertainment Council.
She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Virginia in 1993. She is a passionate advocate of sustaining the independence of high-quality original journalism, a fan and follower of great literary fiction and has been the executive sponsor of The New York Times Women’s Network since January 2014.