ABU CEOs Talk – MOVING AHEAD: MEDIA LESSONS FOR FUTURE CHALLENGES

Event details

March 30, 2021
Tuesday, 2PM to 4PM

In the last several extraordinary months, ABU members as well as broadcasters world-wide, have been working literally around the clock to serve their audiences amidst an ongoing deadly pandemic. It is a necessity to adapt to the ‘new normal’ and formulate future plans accordingly. In this session, our panellists and decision makers, will share their insights and perspectives about their plans for the new normal and beyond the pandemic. What will change forever? Will anything stay the same? Join us and find out during this high-level, thought-provoking conversation.

The session will include two panel discussions under one theme, and will be held in two parts on Tuesday 30 March, as follows:

SESSION 1: 14:00–15:00 MYT (UTC/GMT + 8 hours)

SESSION 2: 15:10–16:10 MYT (UTC/GMT + 8 hours)

Both sessions will be conducted as a conversation between the Moderator, Panelists and the Audience. The sessions will be moderated by the ABU Secretary General and the Panelists will include CEOs of national broadcasting organizations from around the world.

To participate, please click the Registration Link ABU CEOs Talk – Moving Ahead: Media Lessons for Future Challenges. Once registered, you will receive a confirmatory email with a direct link to join the session.

We believe that this high-level session will be of immense value to our members and partners and will provide an opportunity to share experiences, strategies and vision for a post-pandemic media future.

We are looking forward to your participation.

MOVING AHEAD: MEDIA LESSONS FOR FUTURE CHALLENGES SESSION 1: 14:00–15:00 MYT (UTC/GMT + 8 hours) SESSION 2: 15:10–16:10 MYT (UTC/GMT + 8 hours)
PROGRAMME
14:00	SESSION 1: MEDIA LESSONS FOR FUTURE CHALLENGES Moderator: Dr Javad Mottaghi, ABU Secretary – General Panellists: Ms Sheena Hughes, Director-General, EMTV, Papua New Guinea Mr Hirosuke Usui, Senior Expert of Media Strategy & Planning Office, TBS, Japan Mrs Ambreen Jaan, PBC Director General, Pakistan Mr Yerlan Bekkhozhin, Chairperson of the Executive Board, Khabar Agency, Kazakhstan Mr Alexey Nikolov, Managing Editor, Russia Today Channel, Russia

	Dr Javad Mottaghi ABU Secretary- General Dr Javad Mottaghi has 40 years of managerial experience in media and broadcasting across technology, content production, news and sports. He has been leading ABU Secretariat since 2010 and had elevated the Union as a world industry player in innovation and nation – building through media. Dr Mottaghi has been closely working with all regional broadcasting unions in Europe, North America, Africa, and the Arab world. Before joining the ABU, Dr Mottaghi was Director of the Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development for 12 years. In his previous senior positions, Dr Mottaghi served Iran’s national broadcaster in various capacities in the field of sports, culture, news and production.

	Mrs Sheena Hughes Media Niugini Ltd CEO (Acting), Papua New Guinea Sheena Hughes started her career in 1995 as a trainee graphic artist in Fiji’s 1st ever Television Production House, SPR Videopac. In 2003 she joined Pasifika Communica in Fiji as a Senior Producer/Director. In 2012, became Manager of Commercial Production Department of EMTV, PNG’s Premier television broadcast station. Since 2018 Sheena was appointed as Acting CEO of Media Nuigini Ltd, of which EMTV Television and Emtek Media fall under. With over 15 years of experience in the Advertising & Marketing Multimedia Industry and over 5 years in the Television Industry, she brings a fresh and modern style of leadership to the broadcast industry in PNG.

	Mr Hirosuke Usui Senior Expert of Media Strategy & Planning Office, TBS, Japan Mr Hirosuke Usui has started his career as a television engineer of Tokyo Broadcasting System, Inc. since 1986. He experienced number of careers as of Event Project Development, Program Production, Overseas Program Sales. In 2004-2008, he was in charge of VP of TBS International in New York. He has deepened his digital experiences through his career as Director of Digital Content Production Department since 2008. He served as an advisory board member of “Adtech Tokyo” bet 2009 and 2013. He had been Vice president of President’s Office in 2012 and a Director of International Affairs till 2017. He has been assigned to the current position since July 2017. Awarded Japan ITU Award in 2021 for his contribution to the industry. His current agenda is redefining of eco-system of media in this ever-changing media environment.

	Mrs Ambreen Jan Director General of Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) Ms. Ambreen Jan started her civil service after passing Central Superior Services (CSS) exam in 1990. During her service, Ms. Ambreen Jan has served various Departments under the Ministry of Information as Head i.e. Directorate of Electronic Media & Publications Lahore, External Publicity Wing, Press Information Department in the M/o I&B, Islamabad as well as Press Counselor, High Commission of Pakistan in Bangladesh. Being a senior Information Officer of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Pakistan, she has been assigned the charge of Director General, Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) on 03-03-2020, where she is trying to enable Radio Pakistan to play its vital role in media by adapting it to the new challenges and requirements.

	Mr Yerlan Bekkhozhin Chairperson of the Board, Khabar Agency, Kazakhstan Mr Yerlan Bekkhozhin was appointed Chairman of the Board of Khabar Agency in August 2019. Mr Bekkhozhin facilitates the development of four national broadcasting television channels that are united under Khabar Agency. Mr Bekkhozhin studied journalism in Almaty and later studied law and continued his career in media management in various international media outlets in Kazakhstan. He has worked as an anchorman in various national television channels in Almaty, Kazakhstan, run the national branch of the State TV and radio company “Mir” as a Director, successfully worked as a Director of the Presidential television and radio broadcasting Unite in Nur-Sultan before he was appointed as the Chairman of the Board of Khabar Agency. Mr Bekkhozhin is also a Member of the Board of Directors of Kazakhstanskaya Pravda JSC (since 2009). He has numerous State achievements in journalism and media development.

	Mr Alexey Nikolov Managing Editor, Russia Today Channel, the Russian Federation Alexey Nikolov joined RT in 2005. Alexey’s journalism career began in the early 1970s. Since then he has worked for a number of print, radio, TV and online media as a reporter, editor, presenter, producer and manager. He is a Deputy Head of the Department of Media at the Higher School of Economics, one of Russia’s most prestigious universities.

15:10	SESSION 2: MEDIA LESSONS FOR FUTURE CHALLENGES Moderator: Dr Javad Mottaghi, ABU Secretary – General Panellists: Mr Ibrahim Eren, ABU President, Chairman and Director General of TRT, Turkey Mrs Nedra Weerasinghe, Group Director- Electronic Media Business MTV/MBC – The Capital Maharaja Group, Sri Lanka. Mr Peter Limbourg, Director-General, Deutsche Welle, Germany Mr Shashi Shekhar Vempati, ABU Vice President, Prasar Bharati CEO, India Mr David Jordan, Director of Editorial Policy & Standards, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), United Kingdom

	Mr Ibrahim Eren ABU President, Chairman and Director General of TRT (Turkish Radio Television Corporation), Turkey İbrahim EREN was appointed as the Chairman and Director General of Turkish Radio Television Corporation (TRT) in July 2017 following his post as Deputy Director General of TRT as of July 2013. As he took office at TRT in 2013, Eren launched TRT World, the first international news channel of Turkey as well as undersigning many national projects (TV dramas) which are widely watched in Turkey and other countries, and also initiated mini-series. He graduated from the Department of Political Science and International Relations of Bogazici University and holds a master’s degree in Media Management from University of Westminster in London. Mr Eren is a member of Türksat Executive Board, the president of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) and a member (Director) of International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Eren is married with three children.

	Mrs Nedra Weerasinghe Group Director- Electronic Media Business MTV/MBC – The Capital Maharaja Group, Sri Lanka Ms Nedra Weerasinghe is heading the country’s largest privately-owned Electronic Media Network. She also heads Maharaja Entertainments, Sri Lanka’s largest original music rights management, distribution and film production companies. She is currently one of the most experienced Media Professionals in Sri Lanka and was awarded the Gold Award for Media at the Top 50 Professional & Career Women Awards Sri Lanka in 2017. She has been a Panellist and Speaker at numerous ABU Forums and GA’s. She has also been a keynote speaker at the PMA Global conference in 2016. Nedra Holds a Master of Business Administration Degree from The University of Western Sydney Australia.

	Mr Peter Limbourg, Director General of Deutsche Welle, Germany Peter Limbourg was appointed director general of DW (Deutsche Welle), Germany’s international broadcaster in 2013 and in September 2018 was re-confirmed by DW’s Broadcasting Council to head the media organization for another six-year term. Limbourg studied law in Bonn and later chose a career in journalism. He worked as a correspondent in the former East Germany, London, Bonn and Brussels before he was appointed editor-in-chief of N24 (now WELT). Later, Limbourg became senior VP News & Political Information for ProSieben Sat.1 TV Germany. He was also an anchorman of SAT.1’s main newscast for several years. Born in Bonn in 1960, Limbourg grew up in Rome, Paris, Athens and Brussels.

	Mr Shashi Shekhar Vempati ABU Vice President, Chief Executive Officer of Prasar Bharati, India In 2017 Shashi became the youngest and first CEO of India’s Public Broadcaster who didn’t come from the India Civil Services of career bureaucrats. He is currently overseeing the transformation of the twin networks of Doordarshan (35 television channels) and All India Radio (over 400 radio stations). After a long stint at the Indian Information Technology major Infosys Technologies, Shashi managed a digital news media startup Niti Digital before taking up his current role in Public Broadcasting. An author and a columnist, Shashi has published on politics, public policy and emerging areas of technology like Artificial Intelligence and Broadcast-Broadband Convergence. An innovator, Shashi also holds patents in the area of real time event management within wireless sensors networks

	Mr David Jordan Director of Editorial Policy & Standards, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), United Kingdom David Jordan became the BBC’s Director, Editorial Policy & Standards, in October 2007. Prior to that, he had been Controller of Editorial Policy since December 2005 and the BBC’s Chief Adviser, Politics for the two previous years. In all these roles David gives pre-broadcast advice. The BBC’s Editorial Guidelines, for which he is responsible, set out the BBC’s approach to impartiality and the conduct of elections and the reporting of opinion polls. David joined the BBC in 1988, to help set up its flagship political programme, On The Record. He founded The Westminster Hour on Radio Four and was the Executive Editor of Radio Four’s The Week in Westminster and the World Service’s People and Politics, as well as creating and editing a range of other political programmes for BBC television and radio. David is a member of the Steering Committee of the Public Broadcasters’ International, the Executive Board of the Organisation of News Ombudsmen and the Board of the International Press Institute.
16.10	CLOSING REMARKS