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.
The forum is organised by The Centre for Media Studies at Stockholm School of Economics in Riga.
“We entered new technological and geopolitical eras that are going to define news publishers’ business models and their relevance for the next decade. How do we adapt? By learning from the best. This year’s Reinventing Media Business will focus on practical case studies on revenue models that work and excel, AI adoption that’s making a real impact, and press resilience in the new geopolitical reality.”
Zakhar Protsiuk, Forum Director, COO at the Kyiv Independent
What to Expect
Expert insights: Powerhouse sessions with leading European media innovators
Inspiring case studies: Real-world examples that spark new ideas
Relatable experiences: Honest stories from peers in the field
Useful connections: Meet collaborators, mentors, and future partners
Speakers
SPEAKERS 2025
SPEAKERS 2024
Alex Chapko
GM & Global SVP AlliancesPIANO
Katharina 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 HubsSamuel Fairburn
Co-founderFlareDaniel Flatt
Co-founderFlareCécile SOURD
General DirectorMediapartOlena Lavruk
Executive DirectorInkerTimo Kämäräinen
Editorial Development DirectorAlma MediaMagdalena Woods
Founder and CEOFlareJody Doherty-Cove
Head of Editorial AINewsquest
SPEAKERS 2023
FEDERICA CHERUBINI
Director of Leadership DevelopmentReuters Institute for the Study of JournalismLearn MorePATRICK BOEHLER
Acting Head of Innovation and Audience EngagementRadio Free Europe/Radio LibertyLearn More
SPEAKERS 2022
SPEAKERS 2020
agenda 2025
SEPTEMBER 17
Registration + coffee ☕️
Opening remarks by Edgars Spuravs & Victoria Svanberg
“The Axios Model: Inside Axios’ Approach to Innovation, AI, and Business Growth”, Jacquelyn L Cameron, Chief Revenue Officer at Axios
“elDiario.es journey to 100,000 paying members and what we’ve learned along the way”, Rosalía Lloret, CEO at elDiario.es
☕️ Coffee break
“The Power of Many: What Wikipedia’s Grassroots Fundraising Model Can Teach the Media”, Sheetal Puri, Senior Director, Digital Fundraising at Wikimedia Foundation
While media organizations often look to each other for inspiration, they may be overlooking one of the world’s most successful reader-funded models: Wikipedia. With massive global traffic, the Wikimedia Foundation runs hundreds of A/B tests each year. This gives us deep insight into what actually drives people to take action. This session will explore how Wikipedia stays free, what we’ve learned through rigorous optimization, and what media leaders can take away to build sustainable, reader-supported models of their own.
“Inside Le Monde’s innovation strategy and approach to AI”, Lou Grasser, Chief Digital Operations Officer at Le Monde
Le Monde has surpassed 665,000 paying subscribers – 90% of them fully digital – with sustained double-digit growth, driven by continuous focus on retention, a high ARPU, and improved profitability. Its AI strategy blends editorial integrity and innovation, through partnerships with OpenAI and Perplexity, to build controlled, value-enhancing products that align with its commitment to visibility, reader trust, and long-term independence.
Panel discussion: “Resilience amind revenue, AI and geopolitical disruption”
Speakers: Chris Moran (Head of editorial innovation at Guardian News & Media), Lea Korsgaard (Editor-in-chief at Zetland), Yulia Tymoshenko (Journalist at Ukraïner).
Moderator: Jakub Parusinski (Director at The FIX)
🍹 Networking and Drinks
SEPTEMBER 18
☕️ Coffee
“GenAI and journalism: where next?”, Chris Moran, Head of editorial innovation at Guardian News & Media
After two years of grappling with a challenging new technology and its implications for newsroom practice and the wider ecosystem, where do we stand now and what does the future look like? While much of the focus has been on what we build with GenAI, the challenges of the next two years may be more about how we educate ourselves to cover a ubiquitous, complex technology and how we define ourselves and our value to audiences when news summaries are available in every platform, product and device.
“How we built the Kyiv Independent during war: successes, setbacks, and what we learned”, Zakhar Protsiuk, COO at Kyiv Independent
The Kyiv Independent was founded less than four years ago— and over 90% of its existence has been shaped by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In that time, it has grown from a small startup into one of the country’s largest and most prominent media outlets, trusted by global audiences. This talk shares the key successes, painful setbacks, and lessons from building a resilient newsroom in wartime.
☕️ Coffee break
“Making Journalism Profitable: How Denník N Grew from 0 to 80,000 Subscribers”, Tomáš Bella, Co-founder and Chief Digital Officer at Denník N
Slovak news outlet launched a new subscription drive in spring 2025 and attracted 24,000 new trial subscribers in just 10 days. Tomáš Bella, its co-founder and former CEO of the subscription company Piano, will share practical strategies for building a sustainable reader-revenue model outside Western Europe. He’ll also explain how Denník N manages to fund the largest newsroom in Slovakia while prioritizing the most demanding (and expensive) forms of journalism.
“Zetland’s Journey: Membership, Storytelling, and Nordic Expansion”, Lea Korsgaard, Editor-in-chief at Zetland
Zetland is a Danish media company that has built a sustainable, ad-free model around storytelling, audio journalism, and a close relationship with its 40,000+ members. Lea Korsgaard, its co-founder and editor-in-chief, will focus on how Zetland’s narrative-first approach has driven both its membership growth and financial sustainability. She will also discuss their recent expansion into Finland and share practical advice on developing new ventures based on the Zetland model.
Lunch 🍝
“Ukraїner: Adapting in the Time of Constant Change”, Yulia Tymoshenko, Journalist at Ukraïner
When the full-scale invasion began, Ukraïner quickly shifted from its multi-media travel expeditions around Ukraine to war documentation — launching new formats, opening new channels, publishing books, and expanding content in multiple languages to meet the moment. Now, following the abrupt end of long-term institutional support such as USAID, the organization faces a new challenge: to rethink its business model, secure alternative sources of funding, and continue telling the stories that matter. This presentation offers a look at how Ukraïner has navigated past turning points — and how it continues to adapt in a landscape defined by constant change.
“Re-launching ABC News in Norway: How to disrupt one of the world’s most advanced news markets?”, Matthew Harrison, Head of Media products at ABC Startsiden AS
Join Matthew Harrison as he shares key lessons and strategies behind the launch of the new ABC News for Norway. This session will cover re-launching a major site in a competitive market, with insights on revitalizing the 6th largest news site in Norway; balancing legacy audiences with new segments and the strategies that are driving successful audience expansion; implementing a modern tech stack, and building new content niches.
Closing Panel Discussion and Remarks
Tickets
INCLUDING COFFEE BREAKS + LUNCH + 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.
REGULAR FEE
GROUP TICKET
For six or more people from one organisation*
Scholarships
Not available
*Payment by invoice is available as well.
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)
Partners
