About
Boutique, two-day media business event in the heart of Riga that serves as a meeting space for media professionals — managers, innovators, digital experts as well as editors and content writers. The aim of the forum is to bring the media business community together to share, create, and collaborate. Here, we will exchange the latest professional knowledge that will help discover hidden opportunities in the ever-changing media business world.
This year, we aim to make the forum even more interactive and engaging. With workshops, more time allocated for Q&A sessions, and active audience involvement in discussions, we hope to facilitate even more knowledge and experience sharing than last year.
The forum is organised by The Centre for Media Studies at Stockholm School of Economics in Riga.
Speakers
SPEAKERS 2024
Alex Chapko
GM & Global SVP AlliancesPIANOKatharina Schmidt
Editor in ChiefWiener ZeitungHannah Sarney
Editorial Product Director, Executive EditorFinancial TimesMilda Petkauskaitė
Representative in the BalticsReporters Without BordersJonathan Knight
Head of GamesThe New York TimesDominik Krzysztof Cagara
Co-founder & CFOOC MediaSofie Hvitved
Senior Advisor & Head of MediaCopenhagen Institute for Future Studies, Future Media HubsSofie Hvitved
Senior Advisor & Head of MediaCopenhagen Institute for Future Studies, Future Media HubsSamuel Fairburn
Co-founderFlareDaniel Flatt
Co-founderFlareCécile SOURD
General DirectorMediapartOlena Lavruk
Executive DirectorInkerJakub Parusinski
DirectorThe Fix MediaTimo Kämäräinen
Editorial Development DirectorAlma MediaMagdalena Woods
Founder and CEOFlareJody Doherty-Cove
Head of Editorial AINewsquestJakub Górnicki
CEO & Co-founderOutriders
SPEAKERS 2023
ALYONA NEVMERZHYTSKA
CEOHromadske.uaAlyona Nevmerzhytska is the Chief Executive Officer of the leading Ukrainian independent online media hromadske.ua. Alyona started her career in media in 2012 at English language news source Kyiv Post and since that time media became her passion, work and interest. Alyona always worked on the media business side. Her main goal is diversification of the streams of revenue and media development. She is a graduate of Stockholm School of Economics Riga, media management program. Hromadske was founded in 2013 by a group of journalists at the peak of the Revolution of Dignity. hromadske has no owner, serves its community by delivering objective information of what’s really happening in Ukraine and top world news. Among hromadske recent achievements - together with 6 other media received an award from International Press Institute as a leader among Ukrainian media in adherence to journalistic standards. The reach on all hromadske platforms gathers around 23 million views monthly.
MARI LIIS RÜÜTSALU
CEOEkspress GroupMari-Liis has been working for Ekspress Group almost 11 years. She started as a CEO of Delfi Estonia which is the biggest news outlet in Estonia. After merging two companies together (legacy media and online portal) she was the CEO of the newly formed company called Ekspress Meedia back then. In 2017 Mari-Liis became the CEO of the whole group. She has been driving the digital change throughout the years. The digital revenue in Ekspress group is already 80% of the whole revenue. In the digital media segment, Ekspress Group is implementing a strategy of rapid growth, the goals of which are market development and at the same time increasing market share. By the end of the second quarter of 2023 Ekspress Group has over 175 000 digital subscriptions.
SHIRA JECZMIEN
Founder & CEOSCREENSHOT MediaShira founded SCREENSHOT Media in her mid-20s with a mission to create a next gen media company with a mission to allow young people easy access to content that matters. Today SCREENSHOT Media is a market leader in speaking to youth audiences across all digital platforms, with a cumulative monthly reach across its 2 brands of 450 million. Shira’s area of expertise is rooted in her ability to build teams, grow audiences across platforms and take bold risks in the media space. Shira is also an associate lecturer at Central Saint Martins where she teaches digital media to year 2 BA students, and advises on media investment readiness programmes like the BFI and National Lottery's Evolve.
SEBASTIAN KATTHÖVER
Head of Audience DevelopmentDeutsche WelleSebastian Katthöver is DW’s head of Audience Development in Bonn. The team aims to build a network within the multi-language organization, connecting editorial, marketing, web analysis and strategy units. The team manages more than 200 accounts and advises editors on how to improve their footprint on social media and the web. Prior to his current position, Sebastian worked in DW’s strategy department and in communications with RTL Germany. Deutsche Welle is Germany’s international broadcaster with 289 million weekly users on all platforms.
DARYNA SHEVCHENKO
CEOKyiv IndependentDaryna Shevchenko is the CEO of the Kyiv Independent. Daryna has over 10 years experience as a media manager, trainer and media consultant. After working at Kyiv Post, she became the executive director of Media Development Foundation, ran the investigative journalism department at TV channel ZIK and worked as executive producer of award-winning investigative media Slidstvo.Info before joining Jnomics Media consultancy as Partner. Please give me some time to plan a travel itinerary for Daryna. I'll provide you with all the information a bit later. If you need something else, please let me know!
FEDERICA CHERUBINI
Director of Leadership DevelopmentReuters Institute for the Study of JournalismLearn MoreFEDERICA CHERUBINI
Director of Leadership DevelopmentReuters Institute for the Study of JournalismFederica Cherubini is Director of Leadership Development at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, where she hosts programmes to equip the current and next generation of newsroom leaders with the skills, evidence-based research, and networks they need to navigate journalism’s ongoing transformation and build a stronger and more sustainable future for the industry. Federica is an expert in newsroom operations and organisational change, with ten years’ experience spanning major publishers, research institutes and editorial networks around the world. Federica specialises in devising and implementing new and improved ways of working, bridging people, disciplines, departments, projects and cultures. Prior to joining RISJ, she worked for start-ups like Hearken and publishers like Condé Nast, working on audience first strategies and audience engagement. She is an expert on newsletter strategies and editorial initiatives that drive audience loyalty. Federica was a coach for the Membership Puzzle Project and is currently part of the Mentor Network program for News Product Alliance.
ANDREAS BENGTSSON
Head of Futures LabSchibstedAndreas Bengtsson is Head of Futures Lab at Schibsted. The Futures Lab is a research and development unit. The Lab’s objective is to influence Schibsted, by providing evidence and point of view on application of emerging technology for business and product innovation. Andreas has 20 years of management experience in technology and has been CTO of both FINN.no and Blocket.se and CPO of Blocket.se.
CHRISTOFER AHLQVIST
Chief EditorGöteborgs-PostenChristofer Ahlqvist has been the Editor-in-Chief of Göteborgs-Posten for six years. Prior to this, he served as Editor-in-Chief at Metro. Under his guidance, Göteborgs-Posten has experienced robust digital growth and garnered recognition for its journalism and business achievements. The newspaper was awarded "Newspaper of the Year" in Sweden in 2022 and received three first-place awards at the INMA awards in New York in May. Ahlqvist also serves on the board of directors for Utgivarna, an interest organization for Swedish publishers, and TU, a member company comprising all established Swedish newspapers.
PATRICK BOEHLER
Acting Head of Innovation and Audience EngagementRadio Free Europe/Radio LibertyLearn MorePATRICK BOEHLER
Acting Head of Innovation and Audience EngagementRadio Free Europe/Radio LibertyPatrick Boehler leads product, audience and marketing efforts at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and oversees its Academy and Innovation Lab. An award-winning reporter and editor, he has worked on digital transformation and efforts to serve audiences in some of the world's most challenging markets incl. China and Russia with The New York Times, The South China Morning Post, the Swiss public broadcaster, and other outlets, and taught reporting at the University of Hong Kong.
GRZEGORZ PIECHOTA
Researcher-in-residenceInternational News Media AssociationGreg Piechota is a researcher-in-residence at the International News Media Association and the lead of INMA’s strategic initiatives: Readers First and Subscription Benchmarking. An ex-research fellow at Oxford and Harvard universities, he studied technology-enabled disruption patterns across industries and business model innovation in news media. In 2023, he lectured on AI in marketing at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. Greg is a former media executive with 20+ years of industry experience, beginning at Poland’s Gazeta Wyborcza in 1996 where he worked his way up from local reporter to news editor and vice president of Agora Foundation. He serves on boards of non-profits, publishing groups and e-commerce companies in the United Kingdom, Germany and Ukraine, including the Bureau of Investigative Journalism in London. His book, Unlocking the Customer Value Chain, written with Thales Teixeira of Harvard Business School, was published in 2019 by Currency. His latest report, AI Guide and ChatGPT Promptbook For News Marketers, was released in 2023 by INMA.
KONSTANTINS KUZIKOVS
CEODelfi LatviaKonstantīns joined Delfi Latvia as CEO in 2013, following his tenure as Chief Operational Officer at Super FM group. Delfi Latvia, a leading news media organization, has received numerous professional industry awards. In recent years, it has become the largest local advertising online platform and a digital subscription pioneer with over 20,000 subscribers. Konstantīns also is a graduate of the media management program at the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga.
CHARLES MINTY
Director of Digital Reader RevenuesThe Guardian News and MediaCharles Minty is Director of Digital Reader Revenues at The Guardian News and Media. With a decade of service to The Guardian, Charles has been a key driving force in revolutionising their revenue approach. This transformation has led to a total paying base of over 1 million digital subscribers and The Guardian achieving record income levels following the shift of audiences from traditional print to online platforms. Prior to his current position Charles worked within the retention and engagement team at The Times of London.
VESA LINDQVIST
Strategy and Business Development ManagerSanoma Media FinlandVesa Lindqvist works in strategy and business development for Sanoma Media Finland - publisher of the biggest news media in Finland. He has over twelve years of experience in leading new subscription business projects in Helsingin Sanomat, Today HS has more than 400,000 subscribers, a base that’s been growing every year since 2017, when the 25 years of subscription decline began turning around. Peviously he has worked in telecom industry responsible for mobile subscription business growth. He is passionate about reseach and data driven business development.
RAWAN DAMEN
Director GeneralARIJ (Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism)Rawan Damen - Director General of ARIJ (Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism) has 25+ years of experience in television and digital production and training in addition to media management. Before joining ARIJ in Jan 2020, Rawan worked on producing and directing more than 30 hours of documentaries and investigative TV stories, published in different languages. She was a senior commissioner at Al Jazeera Network for 10 years (2006 – 2016). She also led large interactive multi-language international platforms. Rawan received a Master’s degree with honorable distinction in media and communication from the University of Leeds in the UK, 2003. She was also awarded the Media Creativity Award from the Arab Thought Foundation in Beirut, 2015.
TOMAS BALŽEKAS
CEO15min groupTomas is a media entrepreneur since 2005. He has been involved in various forms of media business. News sites, newspapers, magazines, news agencies, classifieds, cinema, books. Tomas has worked with Schibsted media group for over ten years. Has served on the board of Lithuanian National Television and Radio, has served as independent board member of Telia Lithuania. Currently Tomas is co-owner of 15min group and few other companies as well as CEO of news companies 15min and BNS Lithuania.
SPEAKERS 2022
CAITLIN CLARKE
Business Development DirectorFinancial TimesCaitlin Clarke leads Business Development at the Financial Times. She has a background in commerciasing new content products, developing alternative revenue streams and go-to market strategy. She's worked at other major media outlets like the New York Times and Bloomberg and has also worked at two start-ups who sold primarily into the media industry - Trint and Hearken.
MARTIN JÖNSSON
Editorial Development DirectorBonnier News, Dagens NyheterMartin is an Editorial Development Director of Bonnier News - Sweden's largest media house, with 45 newspapers and 50 magazine titles. Employed at Dagens Nyheter as Head of Editorial Development since 2016. With the 40 years of experience in journalism, for the past 15 years he has been focusing on digital transformation, media trends and media consumer behavior. Previous experience involves being a Director of Digital at Swedish Public Radio, Managing Editor at Svenska Dagbladet, Editor in Chief of trade journal Journalisten and several other magazines. Guest Professor in journalism at the University of Gothenburg 2008-2009.
LAURA DÖING
Digital Format and Product DevelopmentDeutsche Welle (DW)As a member of the DW’s Digital Format and Product Development team, Laura Döing is responsible for podcast development across all sections of DW; Deutsche Welle (DW) is Germany's international public broadcaster.Laura Döing develops digital formats for diverse target groups all over the world. She is a multimedia journalist who has been working with video, audio, text anddata for more than 10 years - and got hooked on user-centred design and data-based development.
MEELIS MANDEL
Editor in ChiefÄripäevMeelis has been with Äripäev, Estonian biggest business news media channel, since the mid 90ies - as a reporter, opinion editor, news editor and head of opinion. Since 2007 Meelis has been an Editor in chief of Äripäev, leading a strong editorial team and growing their digital subscription base. Also responsible for the Russian version Delovoje Vedomosti.
MICHAEL KOWALSKI
Head of ProductTortoise MediaMichael is a Head of the Product at Tortoise Media, a news startup based in the UK who have built a membership community of 100,000 over the past two years. Tortoise offers a mix of daily live events, long interactive reads, email briefings, and podcasts. Michael is a New Zealander who has long been resident in London, where he has worked on major media projects for the London 2012 Olympics, Newscorp, and the Guardian. He has previously co-founded three technology startups, developing new platforms for technologies ranging from data visualisation to augmented reality. He curates Confluence, an annual conference about storytelling.
RICHARD FURNESS
Managing Director of Consumer Revenues & PublishingGuardianRichard has worked at Guardian News & Media for 23 years and in that time has overseen some groundbreaking marketing initiatives including the launch of the Guardian's Subscriber scheme, the "3 little pigs" commercial which aired in 2012 to great acclaim, Glastonbury sponsorship and a multitude of digital product launches and newspaper redesigns.
In his most recent roles Richard led as the Guardian & Observer's transformation into tabloid shaped newspapers as Publishing Director and in 2018 was promoted to Managing Director of Consumer Revenues & Publishing, leading on GNM's digital subscriptions, newspaper strategy, e-commerce and live events.In May 2021 Richard was appointed Managing Director of Customer Engagement & Business Development and is focussing on building a coordinated strategy across the Guardian’s growing multimedia portfolio and reader revenue opportunities.
KIRILL ARTEMENKO
Co-founder and CEOPaperpaper.ruKirill is a co-founder and a CEO of the St. Petersburg based media company Paperpaper.ru. Besides doing local online daily media, Paperpaper.ru makes educational events and city festivals, sociological researches for brands, paid email-newsletters as a part of a membership program for their readers. Before starting Paperpaper.ru in 2012 from scratch as a lean media startup Kirill worked as a reporter for different local and nationwide news outlets. From 2012 to 2018 he was an editor-in-chief and a CEO of Paperpaper.ru the same time, after 2018 he focused on the business issues of the company. In 2021 Paperpaper.ru is a break even media company with almost 35 people in staff.
JOÃO PAULO LUZ
Digital & Publishing DirectorIMPRESAResponsible for Digital & Publishing Business in IMPRESA since 2015. In the previous 14 years led the digital advertising business of Portugal Telecom with an integrated approach to 4 screens, with focus in second screen apps, linear TV interactive spots and re-targeting ads based on behavioral data collected by the set top boxes. Founding Member of IAB Portugal in 2014, representing IMPRESA in the Board of Directors.
OLLE ZACHRISON
Head of Digital News Strategy & Deputy News CommissionerSwedish RadioOlle Zachrison is Head of Digital News Strategy & Deputy News Commissioner at Swedish Radio (SR). Before taking on his new role at SR, he was Head of News & Current Affairs for four years. He has a background in newspaper journalism and has been Managing Editor and Business Editor of national daily Svenska Dagbladet.
ALEX CHAPKO
General ManagerPianoAlex Chapko is a General Manager at Piano Software, overseeing company growth, partnerships, and client relationships across India, Central Asia, Middle East, and Eastern Europe. Alex has been working with the Indian market for over 8 years, starting as a CEO of Newzmate - a content marketing cloud acquired by Piano in 2018. He is today working alongside hundreds of brands and content publishers across 30 countries, helping them identify and implement the necessary strategies and technology stack to improve audience understanding, engagement, and monetisation.
NILS RIISE
General ManagerPianoNils Riise is a General Manager at Piano and oversees company growth, partnerships and client relationships across the Nordics. A marketing technology expert with a strong background, Nils has extensive knowledge of how to drive revenue in the publishing industry, particularly through Digital Subscription, Programmatic Advertising and Targeting.
SONALI VERMA
Director of Business DevelopmentTHE GLOBE AND MAILSonali Verma works with content producers all over the world to help them transform their business models and embrace a data-driven culture. As the manager of digital production and audience engagement teams at The Globe, she led a mind shift in getting journalists to understand how data could make them more effective, while staying true to their mission to build a better Canada.
She also collaborated with The Globe’s data science team on an analytics project that evolved into an artificial-intelligence and machine-learning platform called
GALINA TIMCHENKO
CER & PublisherMEDUZAIn 2014 Galina established Meduza Project - independent news outlet and became editor-in-chief and the CEO and publisher. Previously she worked at Kommersant newspaper as an editor, from 2004 to 2014 and was editor-in-chief of the most popular Russian news outlet Lenta.ru.
OLGA RUDENKO
Editor in ChiefKyiv IndependentOlga Rudenko is the chief editor of the Kyiv Independent, an award-winning media start-up launched in November 2021 by the former editorial team of the Kyiv Post. Olga is the former deputy chief editor of the Kyiv Post. She has written for global publications, and was a fellow at the Chicago Booth School of Business in 2021.
SPEAKERS 2020
VICTORIA SVANBERG
ChairmanNWT MediaVictoria is a board member of NWT Gruppen AB, and a president of NWT Media, as well as president of the Swedish association of publishers TU and vice president of the Association of European Publishers News Media Europe (NME). Victoria also holds MBA from Stockholm School of Economics and is an honorary doctor at the University of Karlstad. Having worked in the industry for many years, she has gained experience in media industry in various board positions and positions in NWT Media.
ROBIN GOVIK
Director of DevelopmentBonnier NewsAfter 12 years as an editor at Schibsted and Sweden's leading national news source Aftonbladet, Robin left for Sweden's leading local news source – Mittmedia. After being responsible for the product development team at Mittmedia, which is part of Bonnier News group, Robin has become a Director of Development at Bonnier News.
WIEBKE MEEDER
Head of Subscription GrowthSpiegelBefore taking on the current role, Wiebke had worked for more than four years at Süddeutsche Zeitung in Munich, setting up performance marketing there and at the end leading the marketing and sales for digital products. In 2018 she joined the digital distribution team at SPIEGEL with a strong focus on pushing SPIEGEL+. In 2019, direct marketing and digital distribution teams were merged and Wiebke took charge of the subscription growth business for all products at SPIEGEL, digital and print, being responsible for the development of the circulation and revenues of digital products and the further development of digital marketing as well as the existing sales analysis and e-commerce processes..
KIM PERRY
Director for International Strategy and OperationsThe New York TimesFounded and lead NYT Digital Transition team. Created in 2015 as a training team to bring digital skills and thinking to the core of the newsroom, the department matured into a 25-person strategy, training and 24/7 publishing support group that’s responsible for the continuous transformation of the Times’ 1,600-person newsroom. The team’s goal is to drive specific and tangible change. Kim worked closely with top leadership to implement strategy at scale; this encompasses newsroom structure and workflow, establishing new teams and mandates, brainstorming coverage and digital storytelling, and other strategic initiatives. In July 2020 as an essential partner in major digital initiatives, Kim Perry becomes director for International strategy and operations.
TOMAS BELLA
Head of DigitalDenník NTomáš Bella is co-founder and web director of "Denník N" (dennikn.sk), which is independent Slovak daily newspaper, supported mostly by online subscriptions, with editorial focus on high quality long-form journalism: reportages, interviews, analyses. Editorial policies are entirely controlled by its own journalists, who own 49% of the shares of the company. Tomas also was editor-in-chief of the largest provider of Slovak web journalism; sme.sk and co-founder and first CEO of Piano, company offering publishers paywall software. Listed among the world's 50 leading innovators in journalism and media, Tomas had won several journalism prizes- recently the Slovak Best Reportage award for his coverage of European refugee crisis.
RASMUS KLEIS NIELSEN
DirectorReuters InstituteRasmus Kleis Nielsen is Director of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. He is also Professor of Political Communication at the University of Oxford. He was previously Director of Research at the Reuters Institute and Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Press/Politics. His work focuses on changes in the news media, on political communication, and the role of digital technologies in both. He has done extensive research on journalism, American politics, and various forms of activism, and a significant amount of comparative work in Western Europe and beyond.
SPEAKERS 2019
JEREMY GILBERT
Director of Strategic InitiativesWashington PostAs Director of Strategic Initiatives at The Washington Post, Jeremy works to identify, create, and execute unique digital products and storytelling experiences. He works closely with The Post’s engineering, product design, graphics, audience, analytics and advertising teams. In this role, Gilbert figured out how to tell the story of the 2016 presidential race with 3D printers, built The Post’s first automated stories, created The Post's first virtual reality project, initiated the use of 360 cameras, oversaw its first augmented reality story, built a freelance network that changes how The Post covers national stories and launched a new leadership vertical. Before joining The Post he helped National Geographic develop and deploy its digital strategy and was an associate professor teaching media product design, interactive storytelling, web and print design tools and techniques for Medill and the Segal Design Institute at Northwestern University. Previously Jeremy led The Poynter Institute in rethinking and redesigning its industry leading website and served as an art director at a couple of newspapers.
RENÉE KAPLAN
Head of Audience and New Content StrategiesFinancial TimesRenée Kaplan is Head of Audience and New Content Strategies at the Financial Times. She heads up a team that helps grow the reach and engagement of FT journalism and pilots innovation in the newsroom. She also directs newsletters and audio, leading content strategies that are transforming and diversifying the FT's journalism. Previously Deputy Editorial Director of news network France 24, and Chief Content Officer at Havas, she is Franco-American and lives in London.
NICHOLAS JOHNSTON
Editor in chiefAXIOSNicholas Johnston is the editor in chief of Axios, a new media company that through Smart Brevity, gets you smarter faster on the topics that matter most in business, tech, media and politics. He leads the entire Axios newsroom and regularly speaks about politics, policy and business on MSNBC, CNBC and Fox News. Before helping to launch Axios in 2017, Nick was a managing editor at Bloomberg where he oversaw newsletters and breaking news coverage in Washington. Previously as a reporter for Bloomberg he covered the White House, Capitol Hill and the 2008 presidential campaign. Nick began his journalism career at the Washington Post and is a graduate of Georgetown University.
ANA JAKIMOVSKA
VP Product for ContentCulture Trip, ex Director of Product at the GuardianBefore joining Guardian, Ana was Head of Product Management for news at Sky, with responsibility for creating and managing Sky News’ digital product portfolio. Previously, she was the lead for product proposition and consumer experience on all platforms for BBC Store, and Channel 4’s Product Manager for its digital channels C4 News, Scrapbook, Film4, E4 and 4Now. With her experience in creating digital and editorial strategies for platforms and management of successful digital products development, Anna is now looking after GNM's digital product portfolio at Guardian.
KARIN PETTERSSON
Director of public policySchibstedDirector of public policy at Schibsted Media Group and chairwoman of WAN-IFRA Media Freedom Board. Formerly she was political editor-in-chief at Aftonbladet, Scandinavia’s biggest daily newspaper. She is a 2017 Nieman and Berkman Klein Fellow at Harvard, and the co-founder and former editor-in-chief of Fokus, Sweden’s leading newsmagazine.
JAMES SAVAGE
Founder, CEO & PublisherThe LocalFounder and Publisher of The Local, which publishes news from nine European countries for a worldwide audience of 5 million users. As the founding editor of The Local Sweden, James has been reporting on Sweden for fourteen years, and under his leadership, The Local has taken a leading role in debunking false stories about Sweden and the other countries it reports from. James has also led The Local’s push towards a digital subscriptions model.
IVAN KOLPAKOV
Co-founder and editor-in-chiefMeduza.ioIvan Kolpakov (born 1983), cofounder and editor-in-chief at ‘Meduza.io’, Russian media outlet based in Riga, Latvia. He started working as a journalist in 2001 in Perm (industrial city in the center of Russia), where wrote for a number of local political and business newspapers. In 2010 he launched his own project — ‘Salt’, a political and satirical media about Russia, also based in Perm (it closed down 1,5 years later because of problems with investors and officials). In 2012, Ivan moved to Moscow and became the head of the special correspondents department in ‘Lenta.ru’ — the most popular online publication in Russia at that time. He left ‘Lenta.ru’ with the rest of the team following the firing of it’s editor-in-chief — Galina Timchenko. Together with Timchenko moved to Riga to establish Meduza.io.
MARI-LIIS RÜÜTSALU
CEOEkspress GroupMari-Liis has been working for two different industries which both have been under a change for at least decade.
She was a product development and marketing director in the biggest travel agency of Baltics - Estravel. Then, 8 years ago was she invited to work for Ekspress Group. For two years she was the CEO of Estonian biggest online portal Delfi. After that she merged two companies together which became Ekspress Meedia. It’s Delfi and the biggest media brands in Estonia - Eesti Ekspress, Maaleht, Eesti Päevaleht.In 2017 was she invited to lead Ekspress Group which has also the biggest news outlets in Latvia and Lithuania. Ekspress Group has also expanded to digital outdoor media and other digital services which stand close to media.
She is a big believer in digitalisation in every aspect. As she believes that we are in the middle of the turbulent changes and times it’s more than exciting to work for media.
RICCARDO TERZI
Strategic PartnershipsGoogle News InitiativeRiccardo graduated in Economics at Bocconi University in 2004 and earned his Executive MBA at SDA Bocconi in 2015. Always passionate about Internet economy, he has worked in different managerial contexts between media, technology and innovation. He developed a global managerial vision, strongly oriented to performance management and today he mainly supports his partners on the acceleration of their digital transformation process. For five years Riccardo worked in consumer online division at Microsoft. Later he worked as Chief Digital Officer in Viacom. He joined Google in 2013 where he has been working in Strategy and Operation division for 3 years. Today he works in the Strategic Partnership Solutions team of Google, where he takes care of the News & Publishing ecosystem development in Italy and Eastern Europe. As digital ventures passionate and startup-up lover, since 2013 he is an advisor at the IULM Innovation Lab and he is an equity partner and angel investor of iStarter, the Italian accelerator based in London focused on scale-up ventures.
DMITRY NAVOSHA
FounderSports.ru20 years of author and editor career in leading Russian magazines – Forbes, GQ, Afisha, PROsport. Founder of Sports.ru – one of the largest Russian independent media working for 15 million sports fans. Founder and CEO of Tribuna.com, global media and community for football fans.
ALESSIO CORNIA
Research AssociateReuters Institute/DCUAlessio Cornia is Assistant Professor at Dublin City University and Research Associate at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, University of Oxford. His research interest is comparative research on political communication and journalism, with a focus on the relationship between media and politics, news industry developments, digital news, social media platforms, and EU journalism. He was previously Research Fellow at the Reuters Institute and Researcher at the University of Perugia, where he completed a PhD in social and political theory and research. He has published a monograph on EU journalists in Brussels and several articles in academic journals including Media, Culture and Society, the International Journal of Press/Politics, the European Journal of Communication, Journalism, Journalism Studies, and the Journal o Risk Research.
ANDREW ROLF
EMEA DirectorInnovation Media ConsultingAndrew Rolf is Innovation Media Group's EMEA Director and advises organisations on digital transformation, customer experience and commercial strategy. Andrew has worked with news and magazine publishers from Abu Dhabi to Zimbabwe to help them prepare for and implement significant and lasting change to their businesses. He was Head of Commercial Delivery at Guardian News and Media, London and a senior member of the team that relaunched the Guardian's award-winning website and mobile live news apps in 2014.
Prior to this Andrew spent 15 years in various consultancies working in Europe and the US. He was Head of Customer Experience at organisational design consultancy KPMG Boxwood where he worked with clients operating in the media, technology and retail sectors.FRANCES UCKERMANN
Creative DirectorBefore being appointed Art Director of STERN magazine, Frances Uckermann was Art Director for the magazines "Zeit Wissen", "Allegra" and "Max", headed the editorial design team at SPIEGEL and developed a number of new magazines. She has won numerous awards from highly respected organisations, such as the Art Directors Club Germany and the Lead Awards. Since 2009 she also gives lectures and workshops on editorial design at various design and journalism academies and creative events in Germany.
SASA VUCINIC
Managing Partner and Co-FounderNorth Base MediaBefore founding NBM Sasa co-founded and served as the founding CEO of Media Development Loan Fund, mission-driven investment fund providing debt and equity financing to independent media companies in developing world. During Sasa’s 16 year tenure, MDLF provided USD100 million in different forms of financing.
Prior to MDLF, Sasa was a journalist in Yugoslavia, where he served as the first CEO of Radio B-92 in Belgrade and Editor in Chief of magazine “NON”.
VICTORIA SVANBERG
ChairmanNWT MediaVictoria is a board member of NWT Gruppen AB, and a president of NWT Media, as well as president of the Swedish association of publishers TU and vice president of the Association of European Publishers News Media Europe (NME). Victoria also holds MBA from Stockholm School of Economics and is an honorary doctor at the University of Karlstad. Having worked in the industry for many years, she has gained experience in media industry in various board positions and positions in NWT Media.
CHANPREET ARORA
Independent Media ConsultantFormer CEO – VICE Media India | RISJ Fellow, Oxford UniversityLearn MoreCHANPREET ARORA
Independent Media ConsultantFormer CEO – VICE Media India | RISJ Fellow, Oxford UniversityLaunched the leading global youth brand, VICE, as a full-scale media company in India. Currently Consulting with the New York Times. Held Leadership Roles in Times Internet (Bennet & Coleman), Ernst & Young – Media Advisory Practice and Buddh International Circuit (Formula One in India).
She has recently completed the prestigious fellowship at the Reuters Institute for Study of Journalism at Oxford University.As a consultant and Leader, authored multiple articles published in leading business papers and Industry reports for leading institutions such as TRAI, Prasar Bharti, USIBC and Ernst & Young.
Her strength within the ambit of media strategy lies in introducing a new concept, idea or brand targeting the youth and helping it build resonance in a new market.
DIDZIS MEĻĶIS
Content ManagerManaBalss.lvJournalist with over 20 years of experience, also worked as an international news editor for Dienas Bizness, the largest business oriented daily newspaper in Latvia. Member of Latvian Journalists' Association.
agenda
OCTOBER 17
Registration + coffee ☕️
Opening remarks by Edgars Spuravs & Jakub Parusinski
JAKUB GÓRNICKI, CEO & Co-founder, Outriders, “From email, through immersive productions to physical Klub”
Hear from a co-founder of Outriders how, since its launch in 2017 as a weekly newsletter covering international news from a Polish perspective, the outlet has evolved into a multi-faceted media organization. Jakub will walk us through the journey of Outriders’ growth, gaining thousands of subscribers, setting up a successful membership program, and launching podcasts and a knowledge-sharing platform.
CÉCILE SOURD, General Director, Mediapart, “Crafting a Profitable Future for Investigative Journalism: Lessons from Mediapart”
How did Mediapart, an award-winning French investigative outlet, build a successful business model around investigative journalism? Discover the principles and strategies behind Mediapart’s financial health, the trust it has earned from its loyal audience, and its commitment to in-depth public interest journalism.
KATHARINA SCHMIDT, Editor in Chief, Wiener Zeitung, “From print to pixels: A newspaper‘s digital makeover“
Wiener Zeitung, founded in 1703, was the world’s oldest daily print newspaper and struggling with decreasing subscriptions. From July 1st 2023, the paper was discontinued and Wiener Zeitung started a whole new chapter: Quality Journalism was – amongst others – transferred to TikTok and Instagram – with growing and younger audiences. Katharina has been with WZ for more than 20 years, she was Product Owner during the transformation process and is now editor-in-chief. She will share her learnings in the past 2 years.
☕️ Coffee break
JONATHAN KNIGHT, Head of Games, The New York Times, “Building Loyalty Through Play: The Role of Games in The New York Times’ Subscriber Engagement”
Jonathan Knight, head of games at NYT, will discuss how games have played a pivotal role in The New York Times’ bundling strategy. By engaging subscribers with both games and news, the NYT has observed significant improvements in long-term subscriber retention. Jonathan will share insights and strategies used to encourage this behavior, highlighting the impact on subscriber loyalty.
HANNAH SARNEY, Editorial Product Director, Executive Editor, Financial Times “Bridging the Gap: Uniting Editorial and Product for Newsroom Innovation”
What happens when your editorial and product teams speak different languages and operate on conflicting timelines? How do you manage the tension? Hannah will share insights from her newly-created role, where she’s helping to transform the Financial Times into a more cohesive and innovative force. Discover strategies for improving collaboration, breaking down silos, and implementing adaptable solutions that amplify the impact of your journalism.
DOMINIK KRZYSZTOF CAGARA, Co-founder & CFO, OC Media, “Navigating through the “Foreign Agent Law” in Georgia”
Dominik will delve into the impact of the ‘foreign agent law’ on financial and institutional sustainability, business development, and community building for regional media in the Caucasus.
🍽️ Lunch break
OLENA LAVRUK, Executive Director, Inker, “Bridging Media and Art: INKER’s Journey in Transforming Ukrainian Storytelling”
How did INKER, a pioneering Ukrainian social comics magazine, create a unique blend of journalism and art to engage diverse audiences? The mission behind INKER’s vivid, people-centered storytelling, the principles driving its documentary accuracy and artistic reflection, and the strategies to sustain its operations through digital and print, leveraging social media presence to grow the dedicated readership.
ALEX CHAPKO, GM & Global SVP Alliances, “Beyond the Algorithms: Building Resilience in the Volatile News Media Industry”
In an era where the fortunes of news media are often dictated by external forces—be it algorithm changes by tech giants, shifts in adtech & privacy policies, or global crises—sustainability and predictability remain elusive. Yet, the essential role of journalism in shaping an informed society has never been more critical. Why, then, has this industry struggled to convert its societal value into stable revenue? Drawing on over 12 years of experience in the news media and international business, Alex, in his session, will explores the foundational principles that news organizations must embrace to build resilience and reduce dependency on external platforms.
☕️ Coffee break
MILDA PETKAUSKAITĖ, Representative for the Baltic countries, Reporters Without Borders, Journalism Trust Initiative “Turn accountability into an asset”
The Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI), initiated by RSF and based on an international standard (CW 17493), unites nearly 2,000 media outlets in 85 countries to promote trustworthy journalism. Milda will explore how JTI supports media at various levels, including algorithmic advantages in Microsoft products like Bing and LinkedIn, and legislative backing from 11 states. She will also discuss JTI’s role in curbing misinformation, promoting ethical journalism, and providing rewards such as increased funding opportunities and higher algorithmic rankings for certified outlets.
Panel discussion “Rethinking Newsroom Mindset: Strategies to Better Adapt to the Ever-Changing Media Environment”. Moderator Aija Krūtaine
Networking & Drinks
OCTOBER 18
☕️ Coffee
SOFIE HVITVED, Senior Advisor & Head of Media, Copenhagen Institute for Future Studies, Future Media Hubs, “Bridging Algorithms and the News Industry”
In her presentation, Sofie will address the current lack of innovation on alternative algorithms (like bridging algorithms) as well as long-term implications and impact of Generative AI on the news industry, emphasizing the need for a flexible mindset leaning into more radical future driven innovation.
TIMO KÄMÄRÄINEN, Editorial Development, Director Alma Media, “Transforming Newsrooms: Alma Media’s Journey with AI to Boost Efficiency and Creativity”
Timo will discuss how Alma Media is enhancing newsroom efficiency and creativity through the use of artificial intelligence. Alma Media is home to Finland’s largest news outlet, Iltalehti, and the leading financial newspaper, Kauppalehti. Timo will share insights into the tools they have adopted, as well as the successes and challenges encountered during this ongoing transformation.
☕️ Coffee break
JODY DOHERTY-COVE, Head of Editorial AI, Newsquest, “AI-Powered Newsrooms: Newsquest’s Strategy for Local Journalism”
As Head of Editorial AI, Jody leads a team of AI-assisted journalists at Newsquest. Jody will share how one of the largest regional news publishers in the UK, with a portfolio of more than 250 local news brands and magazines and an online audience of 41 million users a month, has integrated AI to free up their journalists for on-the-ground reporting.
WORKSHOP: How journalism can benefit from AI
By:
DANIEL FLATT, Co-founder, Flare
MAGDALENA WOODS, Founder and CEO, Flare
SAMUEL FAIRBURN, Co-founder, Flare
This workshop will offer the editors and publishers the opportunity to see that AI does not have to be a threat to the industry – quite the opposite. Flare data will showcase how its customers, such as the Financial Times, are using its insight-generation tool to increase productivity, save time on tedious data analysis, spark unique news leads and experiment with new commercial models without taking expensive risks.
Closing remarks + Lunch 🍽️
Tickets
INCLUDING COFFEE BREAKS + LUNCH FOR BOTH DAYS + EVENING RECEPTION
A minimal participation fee is applied, so that we can cover basic expenses of the event – travel and accommodation for speakers, venue hire, lunch and coffee breaks and evening reception. By purchasing the ticket you contribute to the event and the community building amongst media professionals in the region.
Venue
Reinventing Media Business Forum will take place at the STOCKHOLM SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS IN RIGA, a leading business school in the Baltics. It is located in the heart of the famous historical art-nouveau district in the capital of Latvia.
ADDRESS
Stockholm School of Economics in Riga,
Strelnieku Street 4a, Riga (Latvia)