Recent speakers were from companies such as Axel Springer, Bonnier, Condé Nast, Dotdash Meredith, FT Strategies, Future, Google, Hearst, Hubert Burda Media, India Today Group, Mather Economics, Netflix, Reworld Media, Substack, The Economist, The New York Times, Trusted Media Brands, Vivendi, ZEIT Online, and many more.
Partners of Congress 2024
There are a number of opportunities to make long lasting, quality connections at the Congress.
Contact Mx3 Co-founder and CCO John Schlaefli at john@mediamakersmeet.com for custom-built options
Contact Mx3 Co-founder and CCO John Schlaefli at john@mediamakersmeet.com for custom-built options
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Dr. Seth Dobrin has distinguished himself as a visionary leader in the fields of artificial intelligence (AI) and data science, with a career marked by transformative contributions across various sectors. His journey began at Monsanto, where he led a team integrating data science with sustainable agriculture, revolutionizing farming practices through data-driven decision-making and advancing precision agriculture. This work enhanced agricultural outputs and emphasized sustainability and environmental stewardship, setting new standards in agritech innovation.
Transitioning to IBM, Dr. Dobrin became the Global Chief AI Officer, a role in which he was pivotal in integrating AI development and governance across the company. He was instrumental in forming and managing the IBM Data Science Elite Team, which, under his leadership, made significant strides in ethical AI development and diversity, working on over 130 projects across multiple sectors. This period marked a significant shift in IBM's approach to data and AI, contributing to the company's digital transformation journey.
Continuing his impactful trajectory, Dr. Dobrin founded Qantm AI, a firm that fosters ethical AI in business. At Qantm AI, he emphasizes a human-centered approach, tailoring AI solutions to meet each client's unique challenges. His leadership at Qantm AI has been instrumental in guiding Fortune 500 companies and Private Equity firms towards responsible and effective AI strategies.
Throughout his career, Dr. Dobrin has strongly advocated for diversity in technology and against technological colonialism, supporting organizations like WLDA and Wonder Women Tech. His multidisciplinary approach, combining molecular and cellular biology expertise with experience in various industries, has fueled innovation and set a standard for future AI and data science leadership. As AI continues to evolve, Dr. Dobrin's insights, leadership, and commitment to ethical practices remain vital, shaping AI's future in a responsible, ethical, and inclusive direction.
Julia Petersen is a Vice President at Axel Springer hy's Pricing and Sales Business Unit. She has been developing profitable digital business models for media businesses for more than 10 years. Before joining hy, she worked as Director for Simon-Kucher & Partners, an international consultancy focused on pricing, and supported digital businesses as a freelance consultant. Over the course of her career, Julia has led numerous media companies, from startups to large corporations, to topline growth through pricing excellence.
Julia holds a master's degree in psychology, and is a certified systemic coach.
Claire Léost is a graduate of Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris (1997) and HEC (1999).
She began her career at McKinsey, where she was a consultant from 2000 to 2003. In 2003, she joined the Lagardère Active group, where she held the positions of Editor and then Managing Director.
She was appointed Chairman of CMI France in February 2019. In 2021, she was appointed President of Prisma Media within the Vivendi group.
She is also a novelist.
Doni Aldine is a FOLIO "TOP Women in Media" Honoree and CEO of Culturs global multicultural lifestyle media. Culturs’ award-winning content reaches 9 million+ people annually via email, podcast, video and mobile, digital and print editions that have been featured featured internationally in major grocers, major booksellers and university and independent bookstores.
During her 30 years career in media, marketing and multiculturalism, Aldine taught at a major university, developed university curricula for global culture identity and, after heading an international gift manufacturing company selling to the world’s biggest stores in 28 countries, founded Culturs global multicultural lifestyle media. Culturs boasts a team of seasoned professionals in 17 countries on five continents who use media, products and experiences to activate 21st century cultural diversity with a goal of amplifying culturally fluid voices.
Having worked with some of the worlds biggest brands: Johnson and Johnson, PepsiCo, Warner Brothers, and more, Aldine presents around the globe as a keynote at conferences, universities and consistently is featured in media, including O, The Oprah Magazine, ABC’s The View, Lifetime Television and thousands of radio stations and podcasts. She was a columnist for the Denver Post for almost a decade, and has served as editor for business, lifestyle and culture magazines.
Mark Russell is the Executive Director of Business Operations for Condé Nast across Europe, driving strategic planning for the business. He was previously Global Operations Director of Vogue, overseeing the strategy and management of its editorial teams, and also served as Managing Editor of Vogue, Managing Editor of GQ and Chief Sub Editor of GQ. He started his career as a local newspaper journalist. Mark served as a member of the Independent Press Standards Organisation’s (IPSO) Journalists Advisory Panel and is a regular moderator at the Web Summit and Collision tech conferences.
Joe Martin is Vice President, Media Licensing at Hearst Magazines, the world's largest lifestyle publisher with a portfolio of more than 25 brands in the U.S.,175 websites and more than 200 magazine editions worldwide. Joe is responsible for Hearst Magazines’ international expansion through licensees, of which Hearst has 46 across 48 countries.
Prior to joining Hearst Magazines, Martin served as Vice President and Head of Global Partnerships at Dow Jones, where he was responsible for defining and implementing the business development and partnerships strategy for The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, and MarketWatch, among other brands.
Previously, Martin was based in Dow Jones’ Hong Kong office for six years, from 2015 through 2021, serving as Vice President of Commercial Partnerships. There, he oversaw the partnerships and licensing business across Dow Jones’ international locations.
A tech-media enthusiast, Andy is the CEO and Co-Founder of a leading, profitable, independent digital media platform. Andy founded 7awi (pronounced “Hawi”) in late 2012 with a vision to inform, entertain and inspire the youth. Andy was able to continuously transform 7awi to adapt to market changes. Today, 7awi owns and operate 18 verticals, with millions of monthly visitors and a social media reach of over 100 million monthly followers. Prior to 7awi, Andy spent 20 years at Microsoft in the US, France and Thailand and 3 years at Yahoo! where he fell in love with media.
Mark Allen is a publisher and author. He is the Executive Chairman of the Mark Allen Group which he started in 1985.
Today Mark Allen has seven operating companies and publishes more than 100 magazines, in several different sectors. The sectors include healthcare, agriculture, education, social care, dentistry, manufacturing, engineering, aviation, human resources, wealth management and music.
The group also organises about 200 exhibitions, conferences, and awards a year. It employs around 550 staff.
In 2022 the company had a turnover of £60 million and made an EBITDA of £13.1 million.
Educated at Bryanston School, Dorset, Mark graduated in Social Studies at Durham University before starting a career in journalism. He was a reporter on the Sheffield Star, moving three years later to the Daily Express in Manchester, first as an investigative reporter and then as a news and features sub-editor.
In 1974 he became the launch editor of Reed Business Information’s magazine, Community Care, now a workflow resource for busy social workers, which Mark now owns. Three years later he was appointed editor of Nursing Mirror. In 1983 he won the Professional Publishers Association’s Editor of the Year award at the same time as Nursing Mirror was adjudged the Business Magazine of the Year and won the Campaign of the Year accolade.
After a stint as a ‘publisher’ for RBI, Mark moved to International Thomson to take up a similar position in a new medical division that he headed. Less than 18 months later he did a management buyout involving two medical journals and launched his own company.
He is a published author and poet. His first novel, Live Term, a story of abuse, revenge, resolution and forgiveness, was published in 2021 to glowing reviews. It is available on amazon.co.uk in both print and digital form. He has contributed three of his poems in a recently published collection of poetry, The Covid Years. His second novel, The Bridge at Locri, is due to be published this year.
Mark is married with four children and seven grandchildren. In 2023 he was awarded an honorary doctorate at Richmond American University London, with which university he has been associated for more than 12 years. He has a passion for music and cricket and enjoys walking.
Srini is the Managing Director of the 96 year old Vikatan Group, having joined the Vikatan Group it was a print-only Magazine Publisher, in 1990. Under his stewardship, the Vikatan Group today, is a diversified Media house with 7 magazine titles in Tamil boasting a combined readership of over 8 million, 8.8 million MAU’s on the internet, over 720 million minutes viewed by its 20 million followers across social networks every month. He was the driving force behind the Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards that premiered in 2016 and has been a marquee property since.
A quintessential storyteller, he spearheaded Vikatan’s foray into TV production for over 2 decades, delivering superhit shows in 5 languages including Tamil. He has premiered Vikatan’s first OTT product ‘November Story’ in May 2021 with many more in the pipeline.
He is now strategizing Vikatan’s foray into NFT’s and the Metaverse. Having evangelized the digital first approach in content creation, curation and publishing at Vikatan Group, he is reengineering Vikatan’s culture by investing heavily in people, processes and workflows while ensuring that the consumer is kept at the heart of everything that Vikatan stands for, while firmly staying entrenched in Vikatan’s timeless value- systems.
Ranj Begley is an award-winning Global Executive Director with a track record spanning two decades. Widely recognised for her proficiency in driving international growth, entering new markets, and excelling in global business management, strategy and transformation.
As the driving force behind Readly UK, Ranj has played a key role in its continued success, expanding its reach into 10 new territories, and establishing it as a leading figure in the European digital publishing industry. Today, Readly operates in 50 countries in 17 languages.
Ranj is known for her expertise in making data-driven business decisions and utilising analytics to drive growth and innovation. Specialising in strategy, transformation, and change management, Ranj’s leadership has positioned Readly as a pioneer in the digital landscape, achieving a successful IPO, developing diversified revenue streams, and executing impactful marketing campaigns.
Her exceptional achievements and international accolades have solidified her reputation as a keynote speaker and business culture expert, providing invaluable guidance to start-ups and scale-ups navigating high-growth environments.
Yulia P. Boyle boasts a distinguished career as a worldwide media executive spanning several global media and entertainment corporations, including The World Disney Company, 21st Century Fox, National Geographic, and Macmillan. Yulia holds extensive expertise and success track record in forging innovative and long-lasting partnerships among some of the largest global media entities including NatGeo, Nikkei Inc., Hearst, Editorial Televisa, Bertelsmann, Scholastic, Penguin Random House, Harper Collins.
Yulia is the founder and principal of YPB Global, a boutique global business strategy firm specializing in guiding global media, ed tech, and telecommunications businesses with strategic insight and practical operational frameworks for market expansion and growth. The firm develops customized market entry strategies, including market selection, penetration, entry risk assessment, identifying and negotiating partnership deals, intellectual property licensing, audience development, and premium content acquisition. Current clients’ countries of origin include India, Singapore, Spain, Italy, France, Republic of Georgia.
With over 16 years of impactful contributions at National Geographic, where she served as the Senior Vice President of International Media, Yulia transformed National Geographic’s approach to global partnerships from conventional IP licensing to a globally and locally relevant thriving business and inclusive content ecosystem.
Yulia is active in critical corporate governance roles globally. She serves as a Supervisory Board Director at Silknet Telecommunications, Republic of Georgia’s leading fixed and mobile network provider, part of Silk Road Group, one of the Caucasus’s leading investment groups. Her focus is corporate social responsibility standards, and overseeing significant company decisions regarding acquisitions, mergers, and strategic partnerships.
Yulia Boyle is also currently serving as the first woman Chair of the 100-year-old global media association - FIPP - focused on helping media companies navigate an ever-changing business landscape and find growth opportunities, where she is championing FIPP’s innovation and diversity and inclusion efforts.
Boyle holds a master’s degree in public management and comparative international affairs from Indiana University, Bloomington. She has a bachelor’s degree in U.S./U.K. Area Studies from the Linguistics University in Yerevan, Armenia.
David Buttle is an independent consultant working at the intersection of media and technology. Prior to founding his business, David was Director of Public Affairs and Platform Strategy for the Financial Times. He was responsible for the FT's interfaces with big tech, relationships with governments and legislators and led the business's response to artificial intelligence, including licensing negotiations. Before this, and for around 8 years, he was the Global Commercial Marketing Director, leading an international team that was integral to the FT’s market-leading commercial performance throughout that period.
Prior to joining the FT, David was a senior manager at Pearson and before that he held corporate communications and marketing roles in education and consulting businesses. David holds a MBA from Warwick Business School and is a regular contributor to Press Gazette and The Drum on media and technology.
Archie Garcia Carrasco, widely recognized as AGC among his peers, stands as a preeminent figure in the marketing and advertising sector. As the Chairman and CEO of AGC Power Holdings Corp. (AGC PHC), the fastest-expanding multimedia conglomerate in the Philippines, he has spearheaded the development and growth of seven subsidiaries, each specializing in diverse media solutions.
Amidst the digital revolution’s impact on traditional media, Carrasco leveraged this pivotal moment to innovate and expand, pioneering multi-platform titles that not only supported but revitalized print media. Under his guidance, One MEGA Group, one of his media companies that houses pioneering homegrown media brands, flourished with the creation of 10 distinct local brands, including MEGA Man, MEGA Style, MEGA Active, MEGA Drag, MEGA Entertainment, Lifestyle Asia Alpha, BluPrint, Modern Parenting, The Game, and The Business Manual, each serving unique market segments.
Archie Carrasco’s strategic foresight led to AGC PHC’s international expansion, marked by notable acquisitions such as Nylon Manila, Vogue Philippines, and Billboard Philippines, positioning the conglomerate for further global influence with 10 more upcoming international titles.
Beyond publishing, AGC PHC has crafted a comprehensive 360-degree media and advertising ecosystem through its subsidiaries, including DigistarPH for marketing services and influencer management, 7640 Inc. for music and video production, KLIQ Inc. for creative content, and SariSari.Shopping is an e-commerce platform aiming to champion local products and AGC PHC’s labels.
Archie’s unparalleled leadership and innovative strategies have not only redefined the media landscape in the Philippines but also set a new standard for global media excellence.
Sharon Carter is the Associate Director of Ad Solutions at Condé Nast. Since 2019, she has been overseeing the development and production of all high impact display units under Condé Nast's Global Ad Studio umbrella.
Sharon began her journey into the digital realm back in 2016 as an Ad Operations Specialist. Less than a year later, she became Condé Nast's first AdOps Specialist to manage both display and video campaigns. In 2028, Sharon’s dedication to the digital business led to Sharon being promoted to Sr. AdOps Specialist before pivoting to the Ad Solutions team where she was tasked with creating a suite of innovative display product offerings. Since being at Condé Nast, Sharon has been nominated for a series of awards. In 2021, she won both their Product Accelerator Award and their Platforms & Ad Ops Person of the Year Award.
Due to Sharon’s leadership and ability to create innovative custom display products, the CN Ad Studio has become a multi-million-dollar business that clients tap into on a daily basis. Now, as Director, Sharon spends her time developing innovative new products, managing rich media partnerships, ensuring timely campaign launches, all while still maintaining an expertise in ad serving, and creative technologies. Her learnings have been shared globally within the Condé Nast universe, ensuring the continued financial success of her parent company.
Kassy Cho is an award-winning journalist and an innovative audience and social media strategist renowned for pioneering an Instagram-first approach to engaging young audiences. Cho's career includes notable roles as an Audience Development Editor at Bloomberg QuickTake and BuzzFeed News. She is celebrated for her transformative impact on the BuzzFeed @world Instagram, where she single-handedly escalated its growth, making it the fastest growing news account on the platform in 2018. Cho achieved an organic increase in followers from 50,000 to over 785,000 in just over a year.
Cho's expertise extends to client projects for prestigious organizations such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Channel 4, Flo, WaterAid, Coconuts, Forkast News, Doha Debates, and Loftwork. Her reporting on online culture in the Asia Pacific region has been influential, where she is credited with popularizing Chinese memes like “Karma’s a bitch” and the Four Generations challenge in Western contexts.
Her accomplishments have been recognised through several awards and honors, including being named an official Instagram partner for International Women's Day 2019 and receiving awards at The Lovie Awards 2019, where she won both a Silver and People's Choice for Best Use of Stories.
Jack is currently the President of Capital Digital, one of Mexico's most important digital media groups and among the fastest growing in LatAm. He has over 20 years of professional experience in some of the most renowned media groups in the region, with a significant digital marketing specialisation and an endless itch to create & develop highly engaging content-driven products.
Awaiting bio details.
Xia Fan is the Vice President of Huasheng Media, one of China's leading media groups specialising in fashion and lifestyle. Huasheng's portfolio boasts prominent titles such as The New York Times Style Magazine China, Wallpaper China, Nylon China, Food & Wine China, among others. Xia embarked on her journey with Huasheng in 2018, transitioning from CMC Inc., where she excelled as a venture capital investor and played a pivotal role in incubating Huasheng since 2016. Earlier in her career, Xia was employed as a journalist for Bloomberg Businessweek China, where her work primarily centred on exploring China's regional industries and development.
Roxanne is Immediate Media’s Director of Digital Content Strategy, working with talented content teams on some of the UK’s largest websites to optimise content creation and workflow. She started her career in editorial and marketing in 2007 at Pernod Ricard before moving into digital editorial at the BBC within audio and music. She was the digital editor at bbcgoodfood.com for three years from 2016 before joining an innovation team at Immediate Media where she developed a more holistic digital skillset across content, product and data.
The past year has, unsurprisingly, been all about generative AI – and Roxanne spoke at MX3 in December 2023 about her team’s approach to embedding understanding, new skills and a curious yet cautious approach to Gen AI within the company. She believes that Generative AI will unlock incredible opportunities to enhance creative work, but it’s imperative that media professionals at every level understand how to harness that opportunity responsibly, while being mindful and staying up to date on the limitations and risks of this emerging technology. Roxanne and her team adhere to this belief by working closely with individuals to test and realise Generative AI use cases that have transformative potential for workflows and creativity.
Deb is the publisher of MIT Sloan Management Review, where she has spent many years leading teams in marketing, finance, licensing, and business development and has played a key role in generating sustained yearly revenue, audience, staff, and impact growth for the brand. Deb is responsible for revenues and operations and co-leads the team with MIT SMR’s editor in chief, Abbie Lundberg.
Prior to MIT SMR Deb held senior marketing positions with Inc. Magazine for its events, books, subscriptions, and agency businesses. Earlier in her career she worked as a consultant to leading magazine publishers across the US, helping them to create and maintain their revenue and circulation forecasts.
Suprio is a seasoned executive with nearly three decades of leadership experience. The last decade of his career was spent at The Economist. He set up the India subscription and advertising business as the MD. He then created the circulation growth strategy for the Asia business as the MD of circulation, Asia.
Finally, as the Chief Strategy Officer for the Group, he worked on the global circulation strategy. He operated out of Mumbai, Hong Kong, and London. He currently advises subscription and recurring revenue businesses on their monetisation strategies.
Peter Houston has worked in magazines, print and digital, for more than 35 years. He is the publisher of The Grub Street Journal - an unashamedly print-first magazine for magazine people - and co-founder of Media Voices, delivering newsletters, podcasts, analysis and events for media professionals striving to survive in a hostile media landscape.
Peter fervently believes there is a future for print in the magazine media portfolio. However, he thinks the only way to get there as an industry is to stage an intervention, an honest acknowledgement of the challenges we face with our oldest format. Only then will the magazine business be able to take full advantage of new opportunities in print and create a sustainable way forward.
Daniel is the founding director of Lighthouse Reports, an award-winning investigative newsroom that works with many of the world’s leading media outlets. Lighthouse innovates new approaches to accountability journalism with a team that blends open source and visual investigations with data science and money trails.
Daniel spent much of his career as a correspondent for international media including the Economist, The Guardian and The Independent. He’s reported from 50+ countries and worked in print, broadcast, online and documentary film. Much of his work since 2016 has focused on migration and he was a fellow at Oxford University’s Refugee Studies Centre.
Motoko Imada is the CEO and founder of Mediagene Inc. and the founder of Infobahn Inc. She is a highly influential figure in the digital media industry, having founded Mediagene in 1998 and developed it into a company that publishes 17 brands, including Business Insider Japan, Gizmodo Japan, and Lifehacker Japan, with a total of 30 million unique users per month.
She began her career in the publishing industry in 1991, where she was involved in editing, publishing, and negotiating overseas copyright deals for books and magazines. In 1994, she played a key role in launching WIRED Japan as its business manager.
In 2015, Imada established Infobahn Inc, a digital agency, through a new split-off company.
She was a fellow at Dentsu Institute from January to December 2018. Since 2021, she has been a coordinator of the Keizai Doyukai's Third Wednesday Industrial Research Meeting, a secretary for the Keizai Doyukai, Association of Corporate Executives since 2022, and has served as the vice-chairperson of both the Corporate DX Promotion Committee and the Tourism Creation Committee since 2023.
Imada's numerous accomplishments include winning the Web Grand Prix Web Person Award in 2013, serving as a mentor for the EY Women Entrepreneur Accelerator Program. Imada's innovative leadership in the digital media industry has paved the way for many entrepreneurs in Japan and beyond.
With over a decade of experience in designing and coding digital products for online newspapers, Mikkel brings expertise in both user experience optimization and technical proficiency within the digital media sector.
Aled has over ten years experience in the media, overseeing strategy, product, new venture creation and editorial. Previously he was Head of Membership Strategy and Business Development at Condé Nast, where he launched their B2B subscription title Vogue Business. Aled trained as a journalist at ITN before completing his MBA from Cambridge.
Jonny is the founder and CEO of Pugpig, the mobile publishing platform that powers the world's leading media brands from Conde Nast and Hearst, to Future and the Boston Globe.
Prior to Pugpig, Jonny was MD of Technology and Product Development at News Corp’s Digital Media Group. This followed three years as CTO at News UK, where he was responsible for technology delivery across The Times, The Sunday Times and The Sun newspapers. Before this, Jonny was Digital Exploitation programme director at EMI Music, building a digital supply chain across the global music company.
Manuela Kampp-Wirtz is CEO of Burda Verlag, responsible for the development and transformation of one of Germany's leading media companies. Under its claim "Empowering the Good Life", BurdaVerlag reaches almost 39 million consumers every month with more than 150 magazines, around 100 digital media platforms and almost 1,800 employees.
Manuela Kampp-Wirtz oversees BurdaVerlag’s portfolio of premium media brands. These include lifestyle brands such as ELLE, ELLE Decoration, InStyle, Harper's Bazaar, Esquire and freundin, as well as the affiliate platform tracdelight, the influencer network brandsyoulove and Burda's merchandise and licensing division. In addition, she is responsible for BUNTE - Europe's most successful people magazine - and Focus - one of Germany's best-known news magazines.
Since joining Burda in 2012, she has played a key role in the media company's digital transformation and was in charge of the launch of Harper's Bazaar and Esquire in the German market.
Manuela Kampp-Wirtz, who prior to her role at BurdaVerlag managed Vogue, Glamour and Myself at Condé Nast Germany, is a member of the advisory board of the Fashion Council Germany and Beyond Gender Agenda Germany.
Käthe Lemon is the president and co-owner of RedPoint Media Group, Alberta's largest independent, locally owned media company. RedPoint is the publisher of Calgary's city lifestyle magazines, Avenue and The Scene, and through RPM Content Studio also creates award-winning custom publications, content-driven events and digital content.
Prior to being named president, Lemon was the Editor of Avenue magazine for 15 years. During that time the magazine was named Magazine of the Year by the Alberta Magazine Publishers Associations and won multiple awards for excellence in writing, photography and design at the provincial, national and international level. Lemon was named Alberta Editor of the Year in 2011.
Much like Avenue, Lemon is a relentless supporter of Calgary and works to celebrate the city’s many success stories and push the city to be even better.
She is also currently a director on the boards of the Alberta Magazine Publishers Association and the International Regional Magazine Association.
Editorial Director at DECO PROteste since 2015, Cláudia Maia is responsible for several magazines and books. Over 26 years, she highlights her journalistic activity in consumer protection, which followed an internship in national and local newspapers, such as Jornal de Notícias and Diário de Aveiro.
Cláudia has been on the board of the Portuguese Publishers Association, the largest press business association in Portugal since 2016, to which she was elected as chairwoman in 2023. She is also a board member of the Professional Journalist License Commission, representing the sector.
She has a degree in Social Communication at University of Beira Interior.
Ntokozo is a journalist, culture reporter and magazine editor who has been active in the media, brand communications and content management landscape since 2007. In magazines, she's worked as a writer and features editor, and was the youngest editor of South Africa’s then oldest title, BONA. In communications, PR and content, she's worked as a copywriter and content director on various luxury brand accounts, was head of communications for MAC Cosmetics and, most recently, head of content for Africa’s leading art fair, FNB Art Joburg. Ntokozo has also been featured on the Mail & Guardian 200 Young South Africans list.
As the editor of YourLuxury Africa, Ntokozo oversees content across the magazine’s monthly print edition, website (yourluxury.africa) and social media channels, all while showcasing the world of luxury through the brand’s eventing platform, the YLA Lounge.
Ntokozo’s vision for YourLuxury Africa stems from an interest in depicting what a contemporary Africa looks like in 2024 and beyond and, most importantly, telling that story from an African perspective. “Africa’s luxury credentials can be traced back thousands of years, if not more, to the era of economically powerful rulers and dynasties that dominated in the trade of fine goods (which we now know as luxury products) and the export of highly refined expressions of culture in literature, textiles, sculpture, and more. I want my time at YourLuxury Africa to perfectly capture our continued legacy of creative prowess in real-time. By featuring and celebrating the moves and shifts Africans make in all aspects of luxury, the stories we tell ensure that our influence continues to reverberate across the world. I want the way we live and savour the best of life to be a well archived and indelible future testament preserved on the pages of YourLuxury Africa,” she says.
Sarah McConville serves as Co-President of Harvard Business Publishing, an affiliate of Harvard Business School, reaching nearly 13 million professionals, educators, and students worldwide with premier management thinking and practices. The organisation's leading media brand, Harvard Business Review, has published some of the most pivotal ideas in modern business history, revolutionising how companies and careers are managed.
In her role as Co-President, McConville is instrumental in guiding the vision, strategy, and financial performance of HBP and its 600 employees globally. Alongside enterprise leadership, she oversees the Harvard Business Review Group and HBP Corporate Learning divisions, as well as HBR Enterprise sales & solutions, and strategic partnerships. She also fulfils the duties of Chief Marketing Officer, orchestrating cohesive positioning, brand, and channel expansion strategies across HBP’s market segments.
Before her appointment as Co-President in 2023, McConville held the position of Executive Vice President, Group Publisher of the Harvard Business Review Group, where she was in charge of the commercial facets of the consumer media business, encompassing all revenue lines, strategic partnerships, digital strategy, analytics, and marketing, in addition to global advertising sales. As Group Publisher, she developed a subscriber-focused product and analytics strategy that led to unprecedented subscription and circulation growth for HBR.
Earlier in her tenure at HBP, McConville was Publisher of HBR Press, where she led the company’s communications practice. Before her time at HBP, she undertook marketing and communication roles at MIT Press and Houghton Mifflin.
As the Director of Branded Editions for PressReader, Hugo has more than 8 years of experience providing technology solutions to publishers and other content creators, as well as supporting their audience and subscriber development in both B2B and B2C verticals.
With a focus on SaaS for newspapers and magazines publishers, PressReader’s Branded Editions platform is used by the likes of The New York Times, The Financial Times, Hola! and South China Morning Post, to name a few.
Hugo holds an MBA from Vancouver Island University and a Masters of Science in International Management from University of Hertfordshire. He is an experienced speaker, participating in several conferences worldwide.
A Manager, Journalist, and Communication & Press Relations Advisor, I graduated with honors in Journalism and Communication from the Institute of Information and Communication Sciences (ISIC) in Rabat in 2005.
My journey in journalism commenced early as a journalist/analyst at "L'Economiste," a prominent daily newspaper in Morocco, and later at "Le Soir Echos." Throughout my journalistic career, I underwent various training sessions and collaborations, gaining invaluable experience in the diverse landscape of Moroccan media.
In my extensive career, I have served as a Communication and Press Relations Advisor to the current Chief of Government of Morocco and President of the RNI political party, Aziz Akhannouch. Prior to that, my advisory role spanned over 13 years, covering his tenure as the Minister of Agriculture and Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development, and Water and Forests.
Since August 2022, I am honored to lead a group of magazines, including "Femmes du Maroc," "Nissaa Mina Lmaghrib," and "Maisons du Maroc." I am also a member of the executive board of the National Association of Media and Publishers (ANME), which is the largest professional representation in the press sector in Morocco
My dedication and expertise in both journalism and communication continue to guide my commitment to effective strategies and enduring relationships in the dynamic and ever-evolving media landscape.
Founder of The River Group almost 30 years ago and with interests in several other agencies, Nicki is a marketer by trade. Nicki is passionate about marketing and before founding River had an extensive career in this field, which involved brand marketing for six years at Procter & Gamble. Holding an MBA in strategic marketing and a DBA in brand marketing, Nicki is passionate about bringing brands to market, promoting customer advocacy and increasing ROI and EBITDA.
A regular conference speaker, Nicki is also Chair of the Board of Trustees for Sophie Hayes Foundation, an active board member of global media body FIPP, and after 9 years as a trustee of The Katie Piper Foundation has recently been made joint patron. Nicki is also a NED at Angling Direct and the co- founder of Beauty & Vitality as well as owner of Lightning Properties.
Michelle is an accomplished media executive with a diverse publishing background and is known for growing brands, identifying new revenue streams, and fostering deep relationships in the media community. Prior to joining Wright’s Media as their Global Chief Revenue Officer, Myers was President of the Women’s Choice Award where she leveraged her experience in accolades and brand licensing to develop omnichannel retail programs and content strategies for their brand partners.
Prior to The Women’s Choice Award, Michelle held the role of Chief Revenue Officer at Brides Magazine (Condé Nast). At Condé she was honored with the first ever Business Transformation Award for spearheading the brand to greater profitability through breakthrough ideas such as brand licensing and new ways to monetize social media. Myers also held Vice President & Publisher roles at Lucky Magazine, People StyleWatch and Star Magazine and was Associate Publisher of Allure and Shape.
Preethi Nallu is a journalist, film-maker, press freedom advocate and executive director at Report for the World, part of the Groundtruth Project. She was a founding editor at News Deeply.
Born in Iran, raised in India, Preethi's career spans 14 countries across the global north and south. She has researched, reported and campaigned about humanitarian and media development issues. Her films and reports won multiple Webby awards, Migration Media awards, and the Human Rights Press Prize.
Preethi has worked for mainstream media outlets such as Al Jazeera English and Foreign Policy, global think tanks such as Chatham House, and led multimedia campaigns for the UN, and global NGOs such as the Norwegian Refugee Council and International Media Support (IMS).
Eirik Næsje is the CEO of Norkon, the company behind the stock market game Fantasy Funds and stock screening technology Pulse. Throughout his career at Meltware and Cxense, Eirik has gained extensive experience in the media tech industry and more specifically in online media monitoring and data management delivery for the media, focusing on optimising conversion funnels. Eirik managed offices and divisions in the Nordics, the UK, and the US. In his free time, Eirik is a runner and is highly interested in all kinds of sports.
As a Senior Manager of Sustainability at UPM Communication Papers, Niina Niemelä works for a leading company in the paper industry. UPM Communication Papers is committed to driving the value of paper as a sustainable medium for trust, impact, learning and inspiration. The company provides the industry’s most comprehensive range of products for newspaper, magazine, marketing and book printing as well as for home and office use.
Niina has extensive experience in sustainability and has recently joined UPM Communication Papers. Before UPM, Niina has been working on developing sustainability strategies in both B2B and B2C businesses such as Neste, Fiskars Group and Metso. Niina has gained special expertise in climate and biodiversity issues and is dedicated to value creation through sustainable solutions.
Kerin started off in magazines in late 1995 working for Felix Dennis on the just-launched The Week, where he ran the business side of the magazine – particularly its subscription growth. He launched MoneyWeek in 2001, and then ran Felix’s consumer magazines – including Maxim and its overseas expansion, Men’s Fitness, Bizarre and others. The Week US launched 2001 and continues to this day. The Week became Britain’s fastest news growing magazine, recording 19 consecutive ABC increases. Kerin launched The Week Junior in 2015, the UK’s largest children’s magazine and a US edition in 2020.
In October 2022 he founded a strategic consultancy called Atlas to help publishers grow their subscriptions, with clients including The Guardian, Hello!, Intelligence Squared and The New Scientist.
Peyrègne took up duties as Chief Executive Officer of the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) on 1 October 2012.
Prior to joining WAN-IFRA, since the end of 2008 he worked in the office of the French minister of Culture and Communication where he was responsible for newspapers and new media as well as the “états généraux de la presse écrite,” the French government’s response to the economic difficulties facing the newspaper industry.
From 2004 to 2008 he was head of development at Edipresse Publications SA in Lausanne, with responsibility for reader studies and marketing research.
Liz Plosser is the editor-in-chief of Women's Health. She's been passionately reporting and editing health, fitness, nutrition, sexual health, and mental health content for her entire career. She has a 360-degree outlook on the wellness world, having worked across platforms at print magazines (Self, Cosmopolitan), with video (CosmoBody), overseeing content and strategy for brands (Canyon Rach, SoulCycle) and as SVP of Content in the digital space (Well+Good).
Jon Reidar is the Founder of Labrador CMS and has an extensive background in journalism with over 20 years of experience. Hammerfjeld's career began as a journalism teacher before he transitioned to the media industry, where he spent several years as a Chief Editor of Online news in one of the largest Norwegian online newspapers. Jon's diverse roles reflect his deep commitment to the field of journalism and media management.
Dr. Jon Roberts is Chief Innovation Officer and has been with Dotdash Meredith since 2013. He previously held roles as President, Health & Finance where he oversaw strategy for Verywell, Health, Parents, Investopedia and The Balance. He also held various senior leadership roles including Head of Data Science, where he derived insights from more than 20 years of Internet data across thousands of topics.
Prior to joining Dotdash Meredith, Jon spent 10 years as a theoretical physicist focused on making dark matter predictions for the hadron collider at CERN, and cosmic ray predictions for the AMS detector on the International Space Station. He also worked on the Pierre Auger telescope in Argentina. Dr. Roberts received his Ph.D. at the University of Southampton and his M.A. from the University of Oxford.
At 39 years old, Mathias is a Colombian national, who serves as the Senior Vice President of Global Strategic Partnerships at Axel Springer SE.
He brings over a decade of executive experience, excelling in negotiating significant multi-million Euro deals and expanding revenue streams through strategic partnerships with major tech platforms (like OpenAI). With a Master’s in International Business Development from ESB Reutlingen and executive education from ESMT, Berlin, Mathias combines commercial acumen with a keen interest in AI innovations, driving Axel Springer's global strategic initiatives forward.
James Savage is co-founder and publisher of The Local, a Stockholm-based digital native media house targeting internationals and expats across Europe. He has been chairman of the Swedish Magazine Publishers' Association since 2023. He was part of a working group that devised guidelines on AI transparency that have been adopted by all the major Swedish media houses.
Juan Señor is the President of INNOVATION Media Consulting Group in London - one the world's leading news media consultancies.
He has worked with and advised hundreds of media companies on every continent directing transformative projects. He also serves on the Advisory Board of several media groups.
He is also a former Visiting Fellow at the University of Oxford.
He has been listed as one of 'The World's Leading Innovators' in Journalism and Media' by Journalism UK. Mr. Señor is a highly-sought commentator on the media industry, speaking at global forums and quoted frequently in leading publications such as The Economist and The Financial Times.
He is co-editor of two annual books; Innovation in News Media and Innovation in Media, written on behalf of WAN-IFRA and the FIPP respectively. Altogether he has edited 32 books.
He worked for seven years as a war and conflict reporter for PBS's NewsHour. He then became a presenter for EBN-Wall Street Journal TV and CNBC Europe. He served as London correspondent of International Herald Tribune Television then owned by The New York Times and The Washington Post.
His work has been nominated for an EMMY and his television programme, Media Report, was voted by viewers as Europe’s Best Business Programme.
He continues to work as a live event and television host and presenter. He has hosted the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity for 14 years, Reinvention Festival for a decade, and dozens of public speaking engagements every year as a keynote speaker or moderator.
In addition to his passion for the media business, he is a campaigner for disabilities via means of fundraising expeditions to the ends of the earth.
He has skied unsupported to the North Pole, crossed the Western Sahara, trekked the Amazon, and organised the first-ever expedition to the South Pole of a team with physical disabilities.
A Spanish national, he was born and raised in Barcelona and educated in Europe and New York. He is conversant in six languages.
Irene Smit is the Founder and Creative Director of Flow Magazine, which she founded in 2008. In March 2024, she also became the Editor-in-Chief of Psychologie Magazine in the Netherlands. Behavioural change, well-being, mental health and positive psychology are topics close to Irene's heart.
Abi Spooner is Strategy Partner at Atlas, specialising in customer behavioural data analysis, forecasting and strategic planning, alongside delivering specialist subscriptions marketing training.
Abi worked as Customer Strategy Officer at Dennis and Future, and Chief Customer Officer at Dennis, where she created profitable customer-first strategies to drive acquisition, efficiency and yield across The Week globally. She also launched and grew The Week Junior UK and US as well as driving strategy for over 120 brands.
A highly skilled data storyteller, Abi makes complex analysis accessible and understood, from the board room to marketing teams and the wider business. She is at her happiest creating LTV models and believes creativity really can (and probably should) start with a spreadsheet.
Jan Thoresen is the CEO of Labrador CMS, which provides an online web content publishing system with built-in AI to over 300 online newspapers in 11 countries. He is also the author of "Nettjournalistikk" (Online Journalism), a textbook widely used in journalism education across Norway. Previously, Jan has held editorial roles, overseeing more than 20 online newspapers in Norway and Denmark. With a background as a machine code programmer, Jan Thoresen is particularly interested in the convergence of artificial intelligence, journalism, and technology.
Alice Ting is a media and publishing industry veteran with deep expertise in building successful licensing strategies and executing growth initiatives through partnerships.
She is currently Vice President of Content Partnerships, Licensing and Distribution for DMG Media which includes brands such as MailOnline, Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday, Metro, and This is Money. In her current role, Alice leads platform relationships and strategic partnerships across all brands in the portfolio․
Prior to joining DMG, Alice served as general manager and vice president for licensing at The New York Times, where she held financial responsibility for an international team focused on content distribution. In this capacity, she built relationships with publishers, education platforms, brands, and digital platforms to diversify licensing revenue beyond traditional media markets. During her tenure at the Times, she also oversaw the launch of the brand in new markets and categories including T Magazine in international markets, Times Journeys and the School of the New York Times.
Alice serves on the board of FIPP, a media and publishing trade organization and mentors start-ups for the Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator.
Alice earned a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School and lives in New York City with her husband and son. She is a baseball mom, avid traveler, and a recovering runner.
18 years in business law and digital policy, including the positions of a Special Adviser on Digital Development at the Council of Europe and a Senior Manager for Technology, Media and Telecoms at Deloitte Legal.
Elliot is the Chief Operating Officer of Wanderlust, the UK’s longest-running and largest travel magazine. Having joined Wanderlust in 2021, Elliot has overseen the rapid transformation of the publication.
Elliot moved into travel media from senior roles in B2B tech media, including Forbes, London Tech Week, and AI Business.
Ben is a Manager at FT Strategies with extensive experience working with global publishers. He previously worked on the Audience Diversity Academy to help six EMEA publishers diversify their audience and build engagement among target segments. Prior to joining FT Strategies, Ben was an independent newsroom and content strategy consultant. He has ten years of experience in newsroom transformation and audience development from his time working at The Guardian and The Times.