Cablefax The Magazine - September 2017 - 34

THE INFLUENTIALS
Ajamu Johnson
Executive Director,
Supplier Diversity &
Strategic Procurement
Comcast Cable
Comcast last September
became the fi rst
media company to be
inducted into the Billion Dollar Roundtable
(BDR), joining 21 other US-based
corporations that spend at least $1 billion
with tier-one minority and femaleowned
business enterprises. Johnson
was a key architect in helping the
company achieve this distinction, and
has created supplier diversity programs
across Comcast and NBCUniversal-a
role that gives him the opportunity to
collaborate across business units.
Cheryl Middleton Jones
SVP, International
Human Resources
Scripps Networks
International
Two years into her
role leading HR
across all Scripps
Networks international locations, Jones
also recently oversaw expansion of the
company's learning and development
programs. The standardization of HR
processes, policies and infrastructure
globally are top of mind, an ever-arduous
task as Scripps' global presence
has increased dramatically in recent
years and continues to grow. When it
comes to mentoring, she notes, " Building
a relationship based on trust and
honesty will, in my experience, always
result in success. "
James Jones
SVP, Education &
Diversity Solutions
NAMIC
Jones oversees
NAMIC's Executive
Leadership Development
Program, which
has prepared more than 600 executives
of color for top leadership roles within
media and entertainment. He has grown
the scope of the program with the introduction
of the ELDP Symposium, which
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provides graduates of the program with
continuing education opportunities.
Jones is considered a thought leader
throughout the industry on diversity and
inclusion, as well as team dynamics.
He says of the cable industry, " From
pipeline to C-suite, there seems to be
greater and greater opportunities to
construct holistic, multidimensional
responses to the D&I challenges of the
industry. "
Ravi Kandikonda
VP, Marketing Strategy
& Planning
Comcast Cable
Kandikonda and his
team are pivotal in
helping departments
throughout Comcast
stay ahead of trends and customers'
constantly changing needs-in short,
all issues related to multi-channel
growth. His analytical skills and vision
have helped his team deliver numerous
high-impact projects spanning 360-degree
effectiveness programs, sales
channel effectiveness, market share,
customer research and marketing
campaign execution. Kandikonda says,
" The industry scores high in terms of
programming, distribution and strategy.
It can continue to step up the efforts
in bringing that same level of diversity
into executive management and key
business roles. "
Patricia Kollappallil
SVP, Communications,
TLC
Discovery
Communications
Over the past year,
Kollappallil expertly
spearheaded press
outreach for an unprecedented fourday
live event, " This Is Life Live, "
which made the network a top 5
primetime net for four consecutive
nights with W25-54. Additionally, she
continues to manage crisis communication
tactics for several network
series. Kollappallil, a wife and mother
of two, is a cancer survivor and her
drive to beat it has been an inspiration
September 2017
to everyone at TLC. An active mentor,
she'll even lose a good employee if
that's what's best for the individual. " I
always encourage people to take risks
and get out of their comfort zone, " says
Kollappallil.
Ebony Lee
SVP, Growth
Development
Comcast Cable
Lee is well suited to
a job that requires
coming up with
creative, innovative
ways to diversify and grow the cable
business. From new business ventures
to strategic partnerships, her strategic
thinking and organizational design
experience benefi t Lee and Comcast
as she collaborates with stakeholders,
both inside and outside of the company
to establish plans for continued
technological innovation. Lee and her
team recently announced LIFT Labs for
Entrepreneurs, a multicity program designed
to help launch a new generation
of startups. The fl agship Philadelphia
location, opening in 2018, will be in the
new Comcast Technology Center.
Rita Cooper Lee
Former EVP,
Communications &
Publicity
WGN America &
Tribune Studios
As the chief spokesperson
and communications
strategist for WGN America, Lee
led PR strategy for both " Underground "
and " Outsiders. " Those series led the
network to its best-ever monthly audience
delivery in March. Her successes
were noticed by Apple, which hired her
in September to lead communications
for its new video content unit. At WGN
America, her legacy includes building
the network into a formidable player in
the cable industry. And let's not forget,
she helped to guide the Tribune-owned
network while it awaits the close of its
acquisition by Sinclair.
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