About Shirine: During her last semester at the Copenhagen Business School, Shirine became deeply involved in a project about the transformation in media from linear TV to online video. A few post-college jobs later, she “saw an opportunity to shape the future of Aftonbladet.” In 2020, she joined Aftonbladet as the digital business developer, becoming the commercial lead for online video and podcasts. She was chosen to be a member of the Schibsted Future Advisory Board and completed a Schibsted-funded digital course in disruptive strategy at the Harvard Business School. Recently, she had the idea to create a recurring digital book club during the pandemic. Its debut broadcast brought in more than 100,000 video streams and a revenue-generating collaboration with one of Sweden’s leading audiobook companies. “One of my strengths is that I always question the status quo. The media industry is rapidly changing with new consumer behaviours as well as companies and products/services entering the field. I believe my interest in understanding these trends is of great value.” 

About Katie: A passion for fashion in college led Katie to an internship and later full-time job as a marketing associate with College Fashionista, which was a bridge to working with college students later as marketing manager on the student memberships team at The Wall Street Journal. In that position, she worked to make WSJ more accessible to college students by launching the first brand campaign for student audiences (“We Are All Business Majors”) and helping launch two new content verticals for students. She recently was selected to lead WSJ’s news literacy initiative to educate audiences on how to find trustworthy news and helped launch WSJ’s new brand platform Trust Your Decisions. She now manages a worldwide team of 11 and is responsible for driving top-of-funnel growth. “The entire media industry is dealing with the challenge of waning consumer trust. Media is incredibly nuanced and consumers are expected to seek out information on how to be better consumers, as opposed to having it readily shared with them. Without action on this issue, converting and retaining audiences will only escalate in difficulty.”

About Afrian: As the lead for programmatic partnerships for two years at Kompas, Afrian is proud of his work on the company’s brand safety tool, which measures brand safety rating while also blocking ads to avoid a mismatch between the ads and the content. As a national news publisher, maintaining the neutrality of the news is important, as is balancing out the needs of advertising customers. This is Afrian’s jam. “It’s very challenging, especially during the pandemic. But with a data approach, analytics, and solid teamwork, we closed 2020 with a bit of growth. And now, we have growth higher than the industry, even during the pandemic in Indonesia.” With the team’s strong data approach, the company has increased the value of its CPM almost 50% year-on-year. “The media industry should focus more on giving sustainability for the brain/advertiser, transparency, and more mature technology.”

About Nastasia: Nastasia has worked in the news media industry her entire adult life — from internships to freelancing to writing her thesis at Hubert Burda Media. After making her way through many departments at Axel Springer as a management trainee, Nastasia landed in the Axel Springer Brand Studios. The in-house creative agency is in charge of native advertising within the Axel Springer portfolio. There, she is a member of a task force working on a strategy and new products for the post-cookie era. In addition, she has implemented new technologies (AR/VR/360) into the company’s native story products and co-created Innovation Lab, an in-house, interdisciplinary format where people from various departments come together to discuss challenges and solutions. Nastasia also came up with the idea of an Event Hub, one place on the Web site to find all the information about an event and its sponsors. “I am here to help shape the future of news media, and that is exactly what I am to do for the years coming — #thinkbiggerfasterstronger #neverstop #furtherdevelopmentisthekey.”

About Damini: After working in three cities with four varied portfolios for Bennett, Coleman, and Company Ltd. (the parent company of The Times Group), Damini currently works in the FMCG vertical for the Mumbai region — categories like personal care, home care, food, etc., in print and non-print platforms. “This particular profile is a defining experience as I get the opportunity to interact with clients and offer befitting solutions in correlation with BCCL’s various offerings.” One initiative that has a special place in her heart is an in-person event with a leading banking company in India to congratulate Central Railways Mumbai for its work during the pandemic. “I have always believed and have been taught that we are all storytellers in our own right. More than selling the product, it’s imperative to sell the ‘need’ for the product, to make an honest effort to understand the consumer’s perspective.”

About Mark: Having worked at LNP Media Group for seven years, Mark feels a deep connection to the company. “Like I know LNP has shaped me, I know I have shaped LNP.” One example is the expansion of Pocket, which Mark spearheads in response to a competitor coming into the market, offering a substantially lower rate than the newspaper could offer. Enter the TMC product Pocket, which is now mailed to more than 100,000 homes in Lancaster County. “Thanks to its creation, we were able to not only maintain grocery business in our newspaper but also expand grocery stores’ reach by reaching our non-subscribers in Pocket as well.” Instead of losing all of our grocery revenue, LNP was able to double it. “The media industry is constantly changing, and we need to change with it. I have seen too many neighbouring publications and colleagues in the industry stay stagnant in their thoughts and means of occurring revenue — and they fail. My team and I have done an exceptional job in not only expanding our print product but also expanding our digital capabilities. As a young leader in the industry, I know that it is our generation’s duty to keep this industry thriving.”

About Cédric: After an internship at the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a job as a product consultant at a Belgian software start-up, Cédric got the marketing bug, which shortly led him to follow his personal interest in media. He co-created a digital premium strategy for HLN.be, after which the reach of premium articles almost tripled within a year. Cédric also worked with the company’s video team to implement a tracking tool and a calculation to rank videos qualitatively, which he rolled out to the editorial team with best practice examples. “The data became much more tangible for the editorial video team. They knew how they could retain views and as a result, our users watch our videos longer. The qualitative data is now included in all our editorial reports and feedback on particular videos is improved on a daily basis.” This type of work helps with KPIs, yes, but also helps the company get its journalism out into the world. “I think my current role is rather unique: I not only make data available to editorial teams, but I simultaneously partner up with them on a daily basis to make decisions based on historical and live data.” 

About Brianne: As an international studies major without an exact vision of her career, Brianne took an internship with the event marketing team at The Economist because she liked the company’s “international lens.” It was there she found a love for marketing and journalism. Her journey to Dow Jones involved a couple of lean teams where Brianne “wore as many hats as they could give me.” She currently leads a team charged with creating and delivering omnichannel engagement campaigns for subscribers of The Wall Street Journal. Although the WSJ had a high-performing e-mail onboarding experience for subscribers in their first 100 days, Brianne wondered if they could do more. Her experiment with paid campaigns to boost content on Facebook increased the number of days per month new subscribers returned by 22% and improved their overall stick rate by 4%. She believes media companies must diversify their staffs and do a better job at reaching younger readers: “The next generation of news readers is out there now, following the important stories and participating in activism. If news companies are only serving individuals who are reading today, they will fail.”

About Nidhi: Launched six years ago, The Quint needed someone who understood the ever-changing social media platforms, tech features and data sets, and could tap into a young, aware, and opinion-driven audience. Enter Nidhi, who joined the company in 2017 as a trainee. Nidhi leads a team of a handful of social media managers who drive content strategy across social media accounts, plan content distribution in tandem with audience response, and stay abreast of platform updates and product innovations. “As an audience engagement editor, my work is oriented toward democratising content creation and distribution.” When The Quint launched its membership model in 2019, Nidhi helped design the editorial communication and implemented targeted newsletters to convert the company’s most engaged audiences to paying members. She also brought Reels to The Quint’s Instagram account as it works toward 1 million followers. “I am deeply passionate about the work I do and acutely aware of its potential to inspire IRL [in real life].”

About Giuliana: Giuliana’s journalism career began when she was 16 years old when she started writing for the local sports section. She now films and produces videos, writes scripts, and covers everything from events to elections to political marches. As a bonus: She’s also a producer at ESPN. Despite being told that her career wouldn't go anywhere because she is a woman, Guiliana has succeeded as a writer and social media analyst for important national media companies in Argentina. “In my job, we are always fighting with problems, and we have to find a fast solution. In social media at Clarín, for example, my team and I are constantly evaluating the competition to equal and overcome them. So we let editors know and then we work together.” Her recent work includes a video project about the 35 years since Argentina beat England in the World Cup. “I love producing and writing, and in my job, I can do both. I think this form shows that journalism is alive. The idea of telling stories, even if the characters are not known, is my motivation.”

About Mitchell: Mitchell started in the ski industry, but an eight-week contract at NZME changed his entire career path. “Charged with establishing a partner social media brand to the New Zealand Herald for coverage of non-mainstream sports, the eight-week contact turned into eight months, and the social media brand turned into a podcast that lasted close to 100 episodes.” That was four years ago. Mitchell has been busy during New Zealand’s various COVID lockdowns. He built a business case for The Herald to invest in an AI-powered social media publishing provider. He redesigned the graphic elements of content across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. He launched a new strategy to deliver “new-look news” to feed the seemingly endless appetite of readers for news. And he did all of this while working from home with the rest of the newsroom staff. “Our driving objective was to support our readers through uncertain times. But we were so successful that our followership increased by well over 200,000. I am proud to say that social now contributes close to 30% of the traffic.”

Katharina Puntigam
Digital Subscriptions Manager
Kleine Zeitung
Austria

About Katharina: From working as an online marketing manager for one of Europe’s biggest shoe retailers to transitioning to performance marketing manager for Kleine Zeitung’s regional online shop, Katharina learned a lot about strategy and sales performance. “I’ve recognised there’s an even higher purpose I want to contribute to my knowledge. I want to be part of something meaningful, and I want to have the opportunity to change things.” For the past three years, she has been charged with the digital subscriber growth at Kleine Zeitung. Starting this month, she will be leading the company’s entire digital subscriptions department. Her goal is to double the company’s digital subscribers by the end of 2023. “It’s obvious that just acquiring new subscribers won’t lead us to our goal. So, for me, it was critical to know what step in our sales funnel can contribute apart from my own field of responsibility.” Her strategy: a detailed list of key metrics and key measures tied to the sales funnel. “Being part of providing people with relevant information, especially in times of crisis … feels completely fulfilling to me.”

About Julia: By the age of 14, Julia had already embarked on her journalism career, freelancing for two local newspapers. After completing studies at the renowned Axel Springer Academy and serving as an editor at Welt, she joined the team of Business Insider. During her first week there, she pitched the idea for her own weekly column. That column “won our readers by storm,” said Jakob Wais, managing editor. “Earlier this year she transformed her column into a weekly newsletter, which is now outgrowing every other newsletter we have.” Julia and her team of editors are now implementing a strategy to make the newsletter a major source of revenue for the company. That innovation is typical of her approach to journalism: “I want to be one of the top executives in journalism who are not only specialists in their writing and researching techniques — but also in leading their team. I want to encourage and empower young team members to explore their possibilities, to try out new things and journalistic formats.” And she is leading by example.    

About Rafeed: If he had to sum up his career path in a single sentence, Rafeed would say he is someone who loves to make and tell stories through product and content in the media. That love shows in his journey, which has taken him through both digital and print opportunities and turned him into a tireless and inspirational promoter of the media among young audiences: “I have spoken in multiple conferences and sessions including the leading universities in Bangladesh, inspiring students to come work in the media.” He also has written two books, one of which is a best-seller, and implemented an initiative, the Edge Ambassadors Programme, to expose college students to the newspaper brand. That initiative not only attracted young readers but attracted advertisers interested in the youth market. He hopes the work he’s doing will last well into the future: “I hope to inspire not just the people in The Business Standard but young professionals in other news media companies to do even better than I.”

About Denis: Despite his youth, Denis already has 10 years of experience in the newsroom. During that time, he’s quickly climbed from being a local news reporter to being editor of the Web site before specialising in investigative and data journalism. He was instrumental in creating El Heraldo’s first data journalism section and reactivated the newspaper’s investigative unit, which now is recognised as one of the most prestigious journalism units in Honduras. “Our research works have a great echo in other media and generally provoke actions in the decision-makers of Honduras. Our data journalism has helped to understand complex issues, such as the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic and to send alerts about the epidemiological situation.” Additionally, El Heraldo now has a fact-checking unit, thanks to Denis. “We are the first traditional medium to operate with this unit. As a result, we have the first generation of fact checkers in Honduras.” And though he has already made lasting changes, he is excited to make even more in the future.

About Lee: Although she first fell in love with print journalism, Lee has embraced the opportunities brought by digital. Her video work both in front of and behind the camera led her to be part of the newly formed digital content team, where she uses Facebook Live to cover breaking news or to share short, informative videos. Lee’s following grew during the pandemic when her coverage of COVID-19 became some of the company’s most-followed content. Next, she will be in charge of starting and leading a team on the company’s new bilingual (English and Chinese language) product, designed to attract an audience under the age of 25. “I am passionate about the media and am always thinking about what can be done better. I hope to inspire others to be open to trying new things and not be afraid of the unknown, just like how I managed to carve out my unique path by willingly taking on opportunities that come my way, despite the fact that I might not be trained in these areas.”

Claudia Mann
Editor-in-Chief
Futter Magazine/Kleine Zeitung
Austria

About Claudia: If you met Claudia, she would introduce herself as a university teacher, TV show host, and editor-in-chief of Kleine Zeitung’s youth magazine, Futter. But that’s only a small part of what she does. Her exclusive investigative reporting has led to institutional-level changes in the government, and she is constantly looking for new experiences and challenges. But the biggest project she and her team are working on is an award-winning TV show called Was geht?. Claudia was given the reins of the show just two episodes in — even though she didn’t have prior TV experience. The programme, which targets a young audience and is designed to fight the alarming trend of fake news and instead foster critical thinking, has become a hit under her guidance. It covers topics such as conspiracy theories, global warming, and the refugee crisis. “As a media professional, I can use my power to spread awareness regarding issues like this. It may sound cheesy or even naïve, but … I want to help make the world a better and more just place.”  

About Lilys: Lilys was working as a sales executive when she volunteered to manage her company’s social media pages. Her way with words caught the attention of her supervisor, who asked her to write reports; that led her to volunteer as a writer for non-profits and NGOs. After winning a Nation Media Group writing competition, she was awarded an internship that led to becoming a regular correspondent for the company. Now, much of her writing centers on topical issues, development, women, youth, children, and the occasional news story, and she has helped spark public debate on hot-button issues. “The media industry is a key player when it comes to agenda-setting and relaying of information. One key improvement that needs to happen is telling more positive stories that can help inspire, challenge, and shape communities.” With a focus on solution-driven stories in Kenya, Lilys is well-positioned — and well-prepared — to help lead that charge.

About Kayla: With a background in radio journalism, Kayla began her career at Netwerk24 as a multimedia journalist. But her relentless pursuit of new skills led her to become its social media specialist, where she implemented new, successful ways of posting content. Now, as head of audience development, she identifies future opportunities for the company and maps out the path to get there. “These are exciting times for our industry,” she said, noting the innovation that resulted in the wake of a global pandemic. The growth of podcasts, audio books, newsletter projects, and more present new ways to engage audiences and offer a new world of opportunity that can be explored creatively. Kayla is eager to be among those who explore these changing opportunities and leverage them for growth: “I believe that my ability to spot and determine trends and deeply understand user behaviour, as well as my social awareness within political and social spaces, makes me a compassionate, innovative, and dynamic leader that will take a linear approach to leadership.”

About Peder: Although he launched his career with a software group, Peder has always had a special place in his heart for newspapers. He was 7 when he started his own school newspaper, and he later led student newspapers before entering the tech and business space. He was finally able to combine those interests when he became head of business development for Aller Media’s publishing division, which led to becoming director of the Consumer & Lifestyle vertical. He brings a fresh, strategic eye to the position and last year led the digital strategy process for all of Aller. Peder thrives on solving challenges, such as looking at new strategies to reach the 50+ demographic online. “My curiosity and love for engaging others often allow me to help solve complex issues and execute the right solution. I aim to improve myself, the company, and the industry. Whether it’s running internal strategy processes, writing informal memos to colleagues, or reflecting in industry publications, I always try to push the thinking further.”

About Betina: Since joining ACM in 2013, Betina has approached her career with curiosity, determination, and an open mind. Within two years, she was promoted to chief of staff and by 2017 she was training editors and reporters across the country. Looking at new ways to solve problems and innovative ways to approach journalism have helped her company grow and implement new practices while at the same time giving her the opportunity to polish her skill sets. “I have always sought to expand the role I’m in and learn what I can so I’m able to jump into the next challenge. I think this is a necessary approach if you want to keep up with what is happening in the industry and be the best you can. I am passionate about the role journalism plays in our society and it is my goal to be able to use my unique strengths to contribute to the success of my company and journalism as a whole.” 

Katherine Landeck
Co-Director of Planning
Gannett New England
United States

About Katherine: Her passion for journalism first became apparent when she was 7 and launched a crusade to start a school newspaper. Since then, Katherine has continued cultivating her relationship with journalism, always looking for ways to innovate. “I don’t believe that we are in a fight to save local news; I believe we are in the fight to transform it. It’s a fight that comes down to the bravery to try new things and become participant stakeholders in the communities we serve.” As a leader in that fight, she works to “rally the troops” and show them what is possible by introducing new initiatives and rethinking everything from subscriptions strategies to sports coverage. “The industry needs to … focus on what it could be right now with the tools in front of us. If we do a better job of investing in the people in our communities and commit to solving the problems with the tools we have in front of us, we can revitalise local news.”  

About Agnes: Combining her love of journalism with her passion for technology, Agnes is dedicated to finding new ways to leverage the best of both worlds. She sees a clear path to using technology, particularly AI, to make a greater impact in journalism, and even co-founded Nordic AI Journalism, the country’s first industry network. In 2019, she developed and deployed a research initiative to discover ethical risks in Schibsted’s AI developments, and as a result, the company implemented resources to support greater risk analysis. Already, her work has led her to be a popular speaker at conferences and her international profile continues to grow. “Agnes is highly recognised across Schibsted as a dedicated and knowledgeable spokesperson for responsible use of data and AI,” said Ingvild Næss, chief privacy and data trends officer at Schibsted. “She has efficiently positioned herself and Schibsted as a leader in this area with perfect timing — at a time where Schibsted, as many other publishers, have a huge focus on using data better and also on doing business with a purpose.”   

About Daniela: In the five years since she joined the media industry, Daniela has made a rapid ascent to become senior project manager and communications lead — a role that was created specifically for her. Working with the top management at Gazeta Wyborcza, she works to create initiatives and raise awareness about the importance of supporting the freedom of the press in Poland. She also does outreach to individuals in media organisations throughout Europe to ensure an international impact. “I believe I am part of a generation that needs to revolutionise the news media, rendering it more inclusive, ethical, and democratic.” As part of that mission, she connects journalists and editors in projects, creating a bridge between departments and generations. And, through her efforts, she hopes to one day become a top executive within Poland’s male-dominated news industry. In doing so, she wants to not only further her career but blaze a trail: “I also strive to empower other talented women in the media.”  

About Cloudy: When the Financial Times created its integrated data science team, Cloudy played a key role. The multi-disciplinary team was formed to promote the creation of data science-backed products quickly, and Cloudy led the day-to-day implementation of the projects. She also helped determine the future roadmap and the strategy of the team. “Some of the projects I am most proud of include those in which we worked directly in the newsroom, collaborating with journalists to create a number of tools for them to help spot reader trends and edit the homepage.” Her gifts in bridging departments and building strong relationships have helped propel her to the top of her game, and she also is driven by a passion to help the media industry adapt and evolve to stay relevant to a younger audience: “News organisations need to be willing to challenge assumptions in what works with engaging their audiences, both in the content itself as well as the format of  content they consume.” And it’s a challenge she’s up for.    

About Cassidy: Although she began her career as an award-winning reporter, Cassidy also had a love for design that led her to join the data and investigations team. As part of that team, she’s led the development of every major project for the past year, including creating a coronavirus tracker and covering the elections. Each project only seems to inspire her to do more: “Recently, I've been working with Augmented Reality, data visualisation, and sonification for a project funded in part by the Knight Foundation.” Combining the mindset of an entrepreneur with the storytelling ability of a journalist and the technical skills of a computer coder, Cassidy is able to see projects differently and apply all these skills to improve coverage in her community — and that’s something she plans to make her life’s mission: “Good journalism — especially regional or local journalism — helps audiences feel more connected to the communities they live in and more invested in improving them. I choose every day to be a part of the solution.”     

About Hiroya: While working as a voice actor in college, Hiroya became an expert at explaining things. As a Web developer for Nikkei, he sees his role as very similar: “My main job is to find the best way to convey news to readers and build article content in the best way.” His ability to plan and create visualisations for stories has helped the company win prestigious design awards for its Web site, and he was the first to use the Virtual YouTuber technology that synchronises human motions with the character model in the news media. His work is innovative and forward-looking, and he’s perpetually looking for new ways to connect with his audience. “Delivering information to readers quickly and in a non-misleading way is an important mission of the news media. This mission has never changed.” He is now using all the tools of digital technology to increase engagement and make the news more accessible for everyone. “I am always looking for better communication with readers.”

About Hemant: Analytics has long appealed to Hemant, leading him to launch his career in telecom. But after nearly five years of building retention strategies for Verizon, he pivoted to the media industry and now is using his arsenal of analytics skills to help the Hindustan Times better understand its audience and optimise the user experience. “When I joined Hindustan Times, there was no data to begin with. I took the entire in charge of building the hut — from getting the data from various streams into one source to building data literacy across the organisation to now, where everything is self-serve across functions.” Print media is going through a transformation that will take many years, he said, and he wants to be part of that transformation through the use of analytics and personalisation. “I want to understand the needs of the users based on how he or she interacts with the site. That is what I am already focusing on.” 

About Sarah: Since childhood, Sarah has loved a good challenge, and she keeps finding new ones in the media industry. Having worked for Die Presse in many capacities since 2018, she had already proven her diversity and shown the depth and breadth of her knowledge. But last year, she not only convinced the company that it needed a new product management department but was chosen to co-lead it. In addition to showing substantial leadership skills in digital transformation, digital marketing, and product and project management, Stefan Körner, Die Presse’s COO, said she has made an indelible impression on the company: “Besides her marketing, strategic planning, and creative skills, Sarah shows an extraordinary array of soft-skills and interpersonal capabilities, features so desperately needed when navigating through strong strategic and organisational changes,” he said. And it helps that she backs up these abilities with a relentless passion for the media industry and an ambitious list of how she would like to create even more change in the future.

About Bettina: As the daughter of a teacher, Bettina has had an innate lifelong love for language. But when she discovered journalism, it opened doors she never knew existed. For more than five years, she has worked with Blick, one of Switzerland’s largest newspapers, in positions in editorial, podcasting, social media, and more. She is skilled at discovering new verticals and reaching new audiences, and two years ago, she founded the Soda by Blick social brand, which won third place in INMA’s Global Media Awards for Best Use of Social Media. “Stagnation is my biggest enemy and perhaps also the biggest enemy of the media industry. We face the challenge of constantly having to reinvent ourselves and adapt to digitalisation and the future.” But that’s a challenge that Bettina loves taking on, as she enjoys finding new ways to tell stories, develop new ideas and products, and target new audiences: “The media industry needs young, creative minds who turn outdated patterns upside down with creative ideas and extraordinary thinking.”