The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)® today announced that top executives from Condé Nast, Fox Networks Group, Google, McDonald’s, and The Walt Disney Co. will join the Brand Matters keynote at the 2015 International CES®. The executives will participate in a panel discussion moderated by Wenda Harris Millard, president and COO of MediaLink, immediately following an exclusive interview with CBS Corporation president and CEO Leslie Moonves, hosted by Michael Kassan, chairman and CEO of MediaLink. The Brand Matters keynote and C Space at ARIA are CES programs specifically tailored for the advertising and marketing communities. Owned and produced by CEA, the 2015 CES, the world’s gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies, will run January 6-9, 2015, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Brand Matters keynote is slated for 3 PM Wednesday, January 7 at the Westgate Theater. The keynote will highlight how the evolution of hardware and software enables more dynamic content creation and distribution. Top media and marketing leaders participating in the panel will include Jay Rasulo, Sr. EVP and CFO, The Walt Disney Co.; Bob Sauerberg, president of Condé Nast; Randy Freer, president and COO, Fox Networks Group; Margo Georgiadis, President of Americas, Google; and Deborah Wahl, Chief Marketing Officer, McDonald’s USA.
“We are thrilled to have these leading marketing and media innovators joining us to discuss how technology is changing the way we do business and interact with consumers,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, CEA. “These executives are fantastic additions to our Brand Matters keynote. We look forward to a dynamic discussion regarding the challenges of navigating, and the opportunities surrounding, the intersection of media, marketing, technology, and entertainment.”
Jay Rasulo, Sr. EVP and CFO, The Walt Disney Co. Rasulo oversees the company’s worldwide finance organization, corporate strategy and development, brand management, acquisitions, corporate alliances, investor relations, treasury and risk management activities, controller functions, information systems, corporate outreach, real estate and taxes. Mr. Rasulo began his current role on January 1, 2010. Mr. Rasulo has overseen a major expansion of Disney’s California Adventure at Disneyland Resort, which culminated with the opening of Cars Land in 2012 and the opening of Hong Kong Disneyland. He led negotiations with the Chinese government for a new theme park in Shanghai. Mr. Rasulo joined Disney in 1986 as Director, Strategic Planning and Development, advancing to more senior positions and later became Senior Vice President, Corporate Alliances. Mr. Rasulo has a degree in economics from Columbia University and both an MA in economics and an MBA from the University of Chicago.
Bob Sauerberg, president of Condé Nast. Condé Nast is a premier media company renowned for producing the highest quality content for the world's most influential audiences. Attracting more than 263 million consumers in 30 markets around the world, its industry-leading print, digital and video portfolio comprises some of the most iconic brands in media including Vogue, Vanity Fair, GQ, Wired and The New Yorker, among others. Under the leadership of Mr. Sauerberg, Condé Nast has reached record profits, tripling its topline growth and exponentially expanding its content distribution. Mr. Sauerberg also served in a number of leadership roles at Fairchild Publications, Inc., including chief operating officer and chief financial officer. Earlier in his career, Mr. Sauerberg spent 18 years with The New York Times Company in senior finance and administrative roles in the newspaper and magazine divisions, culminating in his being named chief financial officer of The New York Times Magazine Group. Mr. Sauerberg holds an MBA from Mercer University and a BSBA in Finance from the University of Arkansas.
Randy Freer, president and COO, Fox Networks Group. In this role, Mr. Freer directly oversees revenue, distribution, and operations for the Fox Broadcasting Company as well as FNG’s 44 owned-and-operated and joint venture TV networks, video-on-demand and non-linear media platforms. He is also responsible for rights acquisitions and team and league relationships on behalf of FOX Sports. Prior to being named to his current position, Mr. Freer served as Co-President and COO, FOX Sports Media Group, where he focused on growing and enhancing FOX Sports’ prestigious portfolio of league, conference, and team media rights. In recent years, he oversaw the negotiations that led to new long-term agreements with the National Football League, Major League Baseball, NASCAR, and the USGA, as well as with the Pac-12, Big 12, and Big East Conferences. He was instrumental in Fox’s landmark acquisition of the World Cup and helped found the company’s new national sports network, FOX Sports 1. Mr. Freer holds a BA in History and Business from St. John’s College.
Margo Georgiadis, President of Americas, Google. Ms. Georgiadis leads the company's commercial operations in the US, Canada and Latin America, which provide digital solutions to Google's large and small clients. Previously, from 2009 to 2011, she was VP of Global Sales Operations with responsibility for driving Google’s global sales operations and strategies, global technology support teams, and new businesses in local and commerce. Prior to her current role, Ms. Georgiadis was the Chief Operating Officer of Groupon, Inc. and before that, she spent five years as Executive Vice President of Card Products and Chief Marketing Officer of Discover Financial Services, where she led a radical turnaround of business performance and revitalized its rewards leadership. Ms. Georgiadis has a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Harvard College and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Deborah Wahl, Chief Marketing Officer, McDonald's USA. As a member of the McDonald’s U.S. Leadership Team, Ms. Wahl plays an integral role in the development of the company’s growth strategies and overall brand positioning. She is responsible for leading, developing and overseeing execution of fully integrated marketing plans to drive and sustain long-term growth for McDonald’s USA, while expanding and strengthening partnerships externally and internally with franchisees, suppliers and agency partners. Before assuming her current role, Ms. Wahl was senior vice president and chief marketing officer of home builder, PulteGroup Inc. She joined PulteGroup following a long and successful history in the automotive industry with brands such as Lexus, Toyota and Ford. Ms. Wahl earned a MBA from University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and a Master of International Studies from The Lauder Institute. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Wellesley College.
Wenda Harris Millard, president and COO, MediaLink. Ms. Millard is a renowned digital pioneer and media executive currently serving as President and COO at MediaLink, which guides leading media, marketing, technology and entertainment companies through an increasingly fragmented marketplace. Ms. Millard was previously Co-CEO of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc., chief sales officer at Yahoo!, president of Ziff Davis Internet, and a founding member of the executive team at DoubleClick, where she served as executive vice president. Ms. Millard holds an MBA from Harvard University and a BA from Trinity College.
Since 2009, MediaLink has partnered with CEA to program and produce the Brand Matters Keynote, a part of the 2015 International CES keynote lineup. Other keynoters will include Ford Motor Co. president and CEO Mark Fields, Samsung Electronics’ president and CEO, Boo-Keun Yoon, chairman of the board of management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars, Dr. Dieter Zetsche and Intel CEO, Brian Krzanich. Additional details are available at CESweb.org/Conference/Keynotes.
The 2015 CES will feature more than 3,500 exhibitors unveiling the latest consumer technology products and services across the entire ecosystem of consumer technologies.
