Cablefax The Magazine - December 2021 - 49

Most Powerful Women
the
Debbie
Fitzgerald
Director, Technology
Policy
CableLabs
If you want to
know what the next generation of viewing
experiences will look like, you need to talk
to Fitzgerald. Her current passions are holographic
displays and light field technology,
and she's guiding the work needed to
make those displays more commonplace.
Fitzgerald's leadership at the Immersive
Digital Experiences Alliance led to the first
immersive media specification that will
allow holographic content to deploy over
a HFC network. She's also played a key
role in the implementation and success of
energy efficiency voluntary agreements all
across North America. " I think everyone
should read 'Loonshots' by Safi Bahcall to
be inspired to innovate, " she says.
Carol
Hanley
President
Whip Media
Under Hanley's
leadership, Whip
Media acquired Mediamorph, whose
platform powered more than two-thirds
of all global digital transactional revenue
for the film and television industries. She
has also created a culture of inclusion,
diversity, equal opportunity and female
empowerment starting at the top of the
company. Nearly half of the executive
team is female, which creates a culture
of female leadership and mentorship.
" Viewers are overwhelmingly voicing
their desire for shows with strong female
characters, " Hanley notes. " There is still
much work to be done on this front, and
representation and gender parity demand
continued attention from our industry-
especially when half of the viewers tuning
in are female. "
Melody
Hildenbrandt
Chief information
Security Officer &
EVP, Engineering
FOX Corp.
As the head of FOX's cybersecurity team,
Hildenbrandt developed a small-butprogressive
cybersecurity program with
a zero-trust architectural approach and
automated incident response. She's also
part of the team engineering a blockchain
project that put Fox out in front of bringing
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) into mainstream
media. One of the most prominent
female executives in technology, she
sets a high bar for her entire team; yet,
Hildenbrandt fought to remove degree
requirements from tech job listings. " We
knew that we were missing out on great
candidates with the right aptitude and
skills but without the 'right' credentials, "
she explains. " We wanted to broaden the
funnel and not put up artificial barriers to
talent acquisition. "
Sandra
Howe
Board Member
Minim
At Minim, Howe
advises the C-Suite
on business strategy, product innovation
and customer relationships within the
cable industry. She's always on the cutting
edge. Case in point, she's an investor and
board member of Coravant, a minorityowned
VAR and system integrator in the
early start-up stage. Her other hat has her
chairing the global board of WICT, where
she's helped craft a new strategic plan to
ensure WICT flourishes in these times of
change. Howe is also attuned to the ways
DEI efforts can permeate a company, from
the top down. " While finding ways to drive
diversity within the recruiting process may
impact hiring now, diversity must start at
the top, " she says. " If a company's senior
leadership and board of directors are not
diverse, the company will not maintain a
diverse workforce. "
Yvette
Kanouff
Partner & Chief
Technical Officer
JC2 Ventures
Kanouff is a multihyphenate
who has left a giant mark on
the media and cable ecosystems. She
embraced digitization early and played
roles in the creation of groundbreaking
services like video on demand. She
credits longtime Time Warner Cable
executive Jim Ludington as a male ally
who took an active role in including her in
male-dominated circles. " I attribute much
of my wealth of meaningful connections
to him-speaking at industry events and
meeting many wonderful people, who
have become friends and colleagues for
life, " she says. Kanouff currently serves
as vice chair of the Cable TV Pioneers and
won a Lifetime Achievement Emmy for
Engineering and Technology in 2020.
Stephanie
MitchkoBeale
EVP
& Chief
Technology Officer
Charter
Communications
In many ways, Mitchko-Beale's teams are
the backbone of Charter, building capabilities
on top of the network that powers everything
the operator does. She's currently
focusing on the Spectrum Mobile product,
researching and implementing network
features that will allow Charter to better
utilize its CBRS Spectrum for data offload
and better connectivity experiences. While
she is a huge proponent of technical training,
Mitchko-Beale also encourages her
teams to support their inner development.
" I would recommend 'Inner Business:
Training your Mind for Leadership Success,'
by Linda Bjork and 'Unapologetically
Ambitious: Take Risks, Break Barriers,
and Create Success on Your Own Terms "
by Shellye Archambeau, " she says. n
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December 2021
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Cablefax The Magazine - December 2021

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