Rise Women in Broadcast

Rise opens up opportunities for women by:

Delivering our award-winning annual mentoring programme in the UK, Europe, North America and across the APAC and ANZ regions
Celebrating the skills and achievements of brilliant women across the industry through our annual Rise Awards
Providing free membership with access to regular networking events, seminars, workshops and conferences
Inspiring, educating, informing the next generation of talent through our Rise Up Academy programme.

BECOME A MEMBER VIEW ADVISORY BOARDS

Sadie Groom

Rise Founder

Nicki Fisher

Rise Chair

Donna Smith

Managing Director

Lucy Seaton

Admin & Operations

Carla Maroussas

Mentoring Manager

Catherine Cywinska

Head of Marketing

Jodi Morelli

Growth Manager, North America

Nicki Fisher - Rise Chair

As an active leader and STEM Ambassador, Nicki Fisher was formerly, prior to her retirement, EMEA Sales Director for Clear-Com. She was responsible for sales and pre-sales teams, selling and supporting Clear-Com products and solutions across the entire EMEA region. Prior to joining Clear-Com in April 2014, Nicki was the Sales Director for the Tektronix EMEA Video Business for 8 years, where she was responsible for sales of Video Analysis and Monitoring equipment into the Broadcasting, Postproduction and Telco markets. Nicki spent 11 years working for Agilent (formerly Hewlett Packard) in a variety of senior management and individual contributor sales roles, where she was the first Female Account manager for the UK Aerospace and Defence business and also European Regional Sales Manager for the Communications Test Business. Nicki gained a B.Sc. Hons in Physics from Liverpool University in 1989 and began her career as a Product Training Engineer at Marconi Instruments.

Sadie Groom - Bubble Agency and Rise Founder

Sadie founded Bubble Agency a PR, marketing and events company focusing on the entertainment technology, sports and AV business, in 1999 and is still very much the driving force. Using her 20 years of PR and Marketing experience she not only looks after the business side of things and client strategy but also promotes the role of women in the industries she works in through her work with Rise, Women in Film & TV and SVG Women’s Initiative. A keen traveller, she is trying to go to 50 countries before she is 50 and would like to spend more time on the golf course.

Donna Smith - Rise Managing Director

Donna Smith has over two decades of success in blue-chip and multi-billion dollar companies, including NBC Universal and TiVO. Renowned for her entrepreneurial spirit and ability to lead teams towards strategic goals, she has been a driving force behind organisational and geographical growth. She has a proven track record in board-level decision-making and possesses diverse skills in sales, crisis management, start-ups, growth strategy, technology, leadership, fundraising, company culture and communication. Her pragmatism, creativity, and resourcefulness have consistently propelled businesses from concept to success and will drive her forward into her new role as managing director of Rise.

Samantha Harrison

Sam is the Finance Director of the critical connectivity provider NEP Connect, part of the global media technology business NEP. Sam’s role includes helping shape the strategic direction and financial trajectory of NEP Connect as well as providing integrity, commercial insight, structure and good governance. Sam is also a STEM Ambassador, actively supporting secondary school students with careers advice, and promoting the vast career options in the broadcast industry and finance sector. Sam joined SIS LIVE (now NEP Connect) in 2012 as Head of Finance. She helped prepare the company for sale, was a key contributor to the IM preparation and due diligence process, and central to the transition of the business into NEP ownership during 2018-19. Prior to this, Sam held various senior finance roles in the banking, retail, leisure and hospitality sectors. Sam is a Fellow Chartered Accountant with the ICAEW, qualifying with PricewaterhouseCoopers in the mid-90s, and worked for a number of years in the Bahamas before settling back in the UK at the end of 2000. Prior to this, Sam gained a first-class BSc Hons in Accounting from Hull University (1992). Sam lives with her husband, daughter and two dogs in Milton Keynes and is delighted to serve as a Non-Executive Director for Rise.

Claire Da Silva

Claire is the Vice President, Production Services for DAZN, leading a global production estate and an on-going pipeline of dynamic, innovative solutions. She has built highly effective global teams and operating models in the Broadcast and Production space, driving productivity and efficiency of production capabilities. Claire was responsible for well timed virtual production offerings that enabled DAZN to create content from anywhere throughout the pandemic, and led to her being nominated for 40 under 40 Leaders in Sport. Prior to DAZN, she was a multi genre Post Producer for ITV, having started her career in Soho. Claire recently joined Chief, as a Founding Member in the UK. Chief is a private network focussed on amplifying the value and impact of women in senior positions, and paying it forwards to future generations- which she’s very passionate about as the mum of a young daughter.

Namata Sahmah

Namrata is the Chief Product Officer at INTO University Partnerships - a global Higher Education company. Previously, she was the CPO at iPlato Healthcare (myGP) where she worked closely with NHS Primary Care. She has worked in product leadership roles at Paramount, Babylon Health and a number of other exciting global companies. Namrata sits on the board of The Open University Business School, and is an Advisor at Antler - an early stage VC firm. She is an alumni of Manchester Business School, and is trained in global leadership from Harvard Business School. Namrata is the Founder of Women in Product (London) – a vibrant product community. She is also the founding member of Chief UK.

Tim Williams

Tim is an experienced business leader and Director who has worked in the Broadcast industry for over 30 years, starting with Tekniche in 1992, then moving to systems integrator TSL in 1996. In 2018 Tim joined Argosy as Operations Director. With a background in procurement and international logistics, Tim is equally comfortable being customer facing having spent several years working with clients on projects in the Middle East and Asia. Tim has also held Non Exec roles as Chair of a BID (Business Improvement District) group in Marlow and has acted as a mentor in the 30% club.

Charlotte Wheeler

Charlotte Wheeler is the Director of the Broadcast Tech & Sport Group and the Event Director of the UK’s only annual trade event, The Media Production & Technology Show. Charlotte has worked for MBI, the publishers of Broadcast, Screen International for nearly 20 years and started her career on the industry tradeshow , originally called The Production Show, and then BVE from March 2004. Charlotte has worked with many of the key manufacturers and brands within the broadcast technology markets over the years developing relationships as exhibitors and sponsors across a multitude of events. In her role at the Broadcast Tech & Sport Group, Charlotte manages a team of editorial, sales and marketing experts and has been part of many new successful launches over the last 5 years including the Broadcast Tech Awards, Broadcast Sport Awards, TechFest and Broadcast Sport events, all highly regarded by sponsors and media executives alike. Charlotte is passionate about being an advocate for women across all sectors and through her work in MPTS has been one of the only Media & entertainment focussed tradeshows to achieve a 50% gender split in her content programming and introduced a company wide, a no ‘man-el’ policy at their events. Charlotte has been an active advocate of Rise since it’s inception and has run a number of events celebrating women in the media industries, across the country.

Charlotte has been a mentor twice for Rise and an active member of the advisory board in recent years and looks forward to many more to come.

Nicki Fisher - Rise Chair

Sadie Groom - Bubble Agency and Rise Founder

Donna Smith - Rise Managing Director

Abigail Hughes - ITV Studios

Abigail Hughes is currently Director of Global Partnerships in ITV Studios. She is an accomplished and proven executive in Media with extensive expertise gained through her tenure in global organizations as a key member of high-performing senior teams at Sony Pictures and BBC Studios. With a background including independent consultantcy, Abigail has successfully contributed to a diverse array of commercial ventures and digital transformation projects with a focus on business process improvement and technology enablers. Demonstrating robust leadership skills, Abigail has played pivotal roles in business sponsorship and project leadership across numerous initiatives, earning a stellar reputation for adept stakeholder management and the successful delivery of global business transformation projects. She has spearheaded structural changes, focusing on change management, and possesses a wealth of experience in leading, expanding, merging, and streamlining teams. Abigail has also been instrumental in establishing and leading internal as well as third-party partnerships, collaborating with senior stakeholders at the board level. Her responsibilities have included devising commercial models, formulating go-to-market strategies, and ensuring the financial success of partnerships. Her expertise extends to content distribution, covering areas such as sales, rights management, technical and business operations, and commercial strategy.

Andy Beale - BT Sport

Andy is Chief Engineer for BT Sport, joining the innovative and disruptive British broadcaster at the beginning of its journey in 2012 to oversee the technology and construction of the landmark BT Sport Production Hub in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. He played a pivotal role in the development and launch of Europe’s first commercial live sports Ultra HD channel BT Sport Ultra HD, and its HDR successor: BT Sport Ultimate. He led BT Sport’s pioneering Dolby Atmos launch and ground breaking advances in live VR 360. Recently he has delivered world firsts in 8K and 5G remote production. Previously he was Head of Engineering for Sports Media House, Octagon, and before that delivered projects worldwide for respected system integrator IPK.

Mark Harrison - DPP

Mark began his career as an Historian at Cambridge University, before moving into the media industry. He spent many years as a Director, Producer and Executive Producer, and won numerous awards for his filmmaking, including an International Emmy and a BAFTA nomination. Mark has held senior roles within the independent production sector and the BBC. He was MD of an independent production company before being appointed BBC Head of Arts, and then Head of Multiplatform Production. He was subsequently Controller of Production for BBC North and leader of the BBC’s End-to-End Digital programme, before becoming Director of Transformation for BBC Design & Engineering. In 2015 Mark became CEO of the DPP – the media industry’s international business network, which he founded. Today the DPP has nearly 500 member companies from across the whole media supply chain – from global tech giants to start ups.

Anne-Louise Buick - Platform Comms

Anne-Louise is the Senior Vice President, Marketing for Telestream, leading the Telestream global marketing organization responsible for all the marketing elements of Telestream’s GTM activities. Previously Anne-Louise was Vice President, Global Revenue Marketing at Avid, overseeing Field, Channel and Demand Marketing, leading marketing campaigns to drive revenue as well as worldwide channel marketing engagement. Prior to joining Avid, Anne-Louise was Head of Media Marketing and Communications at Ericsson, establishing a go-to-market framework to ensure the successful launch of new products, services and solutions, designing marketing programs to support business objectives and ensuring consistent and effective communication of customer value for the Media Solutions business.

Lesley Johnson - BBC Studios

Lesley is Global Director of Home Entertainment at BBC Studios, where she is responsible for the Digital and DVD business worldwide. She is Vice Chair of the British Association for Screen Entertainment and a Rise Advisory Board member. At work Lesley leads on support for women’s reproductive health, which led to the BBC signing the Workplace Menopause pledge in April 2022. In a wide ranging broadcast career Lesley has held senior editorial and operational roles across the television industry. She founded the Westminster news facility Millbank Studios, which broadcast the first live pictures from the House of Commons Committees and launched the Parliamentary Channel. In the late Nineties Lesley was Head of Production for Lifestyle at LWT and Granada TV where she looked after This Morning and was on the launch team of Loose Women. Lesley is a very keen sailor and has two grown-up daughters.

Lisa Collins - IABM

Lisa has been building powerful networks and communities for over 25 years, ensuring the groups she works with thrive and grow. After a flourishing career working for a variety of associations, membership bodies and not for profit organisations, Lisa launched her own agency, Dovetail Creative Ltd, in 2021 and now supports a variety of organisations with all aspects of community, member and customer forum engagement, events, marketing strategy, and consultancy. Lisa has worked within the broadcast, media, and entertainment space for over 12 years, working most recently with membership organisations, The Circle Society and IABM. Lisa is a frequent speaker and moderator at industry events.

Jackie Howes - Discovery

Recently winning the 2020 IABM Award for Technology Leader of the year, Jackie is recognised as a person who is at the forefront of disruption and innovation within the broadcast and media industry. Through inspired leadership she has helped to deliver ground-breaking technology and business benefits. Jackie has over 20 years of experience working in the broadcast industry and has worked for a number of different companies, always working in a role that bridges the gap between traditional IT and broadcast engineers. Today, as the Director of Media Infrastructure Architecture at Discovery, Jackie is directly responsible for scoping, defining and coordinating both large and small Infrastructure systems that have a direct impact on the company’s technical capabilities and profitability. She works alongside global teams and external suppliers to architect infrastructure ecosystems that supports the technical and operational aspects of production and broadcast systems. Jackie is a strong believer in sharing knowledge and endeavors to create an environment where every individual is able to choose the path they wish to take.

Lucy O'Brien - RIEDEL Communications

Lucy is a dedicated broadcast engineer with a strong interest in the technology involved in television and radio broadcasting. She has been pursuing her dream of becoming a broadcast engineer since the age of 14, and after completing her university studies, she began her career at the BBC. Lucy then went on to work for Arqiva and gained valuable experience working as a freelancer with top industry players like Discovery, SKY, White Light, and ITV.

Lucy's career continued to flourish, and she eventually became the Head of Field Operations at ITN before taking on the position of Head of Technology and Operations at GBNews. Most recently, Lucy served as the Group CTO at EMG. Throughout her career, Lucy has shown a passion for encouraging new talent in the industry and advocating for diversity in the workplace.

Fiona Burton - Pixit Media

Fiona has been working within Post Production for over 20 years. She has gained a raft of experience in looking after both creatives and engineers and has worked in boutique post houses and multinational broadcasters and everything in between. She transitioned to management and senior leadership teams advising on strategy and team management for creative and technical departments. She started out in Bristol with the ambition of becoming a TV editor but as she made the rounds of Soho machine rooms she seemed to be more drawn to wiring up the racks than learning “The Craft”. In her former life in Australia she was a Web Designer and Programmer. She has a husband that also works in broadcast and a daughter. In her spare time she is a keen runner.

Dushi Thangarajah - Deluxe

Dushianthi is currently Senior Vice President Localisation & Fulfliment EMEA at Deluxe where she is responsible for all EMEA subtitling, audio description, dubbing, audio, mastering and QC servicing for delivery to global and local clients. Dushi is a vocal supporter of increasing diversity within the media and entertainment industry and strives to demonstrate this with diverse and inclusive teams who also strive for the same objectives. During her time at Deluxe Dushi has driven transformation across the global business in technology, process, end-2-end servicing relationships and people engagement. Dushi started her career after completing an MEng in Aeronautical Engineering at Imperial College. She then joined a leadership programme at GKN and worked on a number of projects globally within the Aerospace and Automotive engineering industry. She then moved into consultancy still working closely with engineering clients before joining BBC Broadcast moments prior to it becoming Red Bee Media. The period at Red Bee Media was exciting and was the start of her career in Media with the only constant being change across content creation and consumption driving ongoing change in content creation, transformation, localisation and delivery.

Larissa Görner – Proximus Media House & Rise Europe Chair

Larissa Görner – Proximus Media House & Rise Europe Chair Larissa Görner is CTO - Technology, broadcast and infrastructure lead, for Proximus Media House, the media and content powerhouse of Proximus. With an extensive experience in media engineering, Larissa has played different roles from sales and marketing to product management and CTO, going through technical operations and chief engineer for outdoor broadcast, in companies like OBS – Olympic Broadcasting Services, Net Insight, and Grass Valley. Larissa is also board member of industry organizations like SMPTE, AIMS (Alliance for IP Media Solutions), and FKTG (the German counterpart to the SMPTE in the US). In such a male-centric environment, she was clear that she wanted to be involved in an organization that would allow her to work towards a better gender balance. She Larissa is based in Belgium and founded the Rise Europe chapter in 2022, launching the first mentoring program. She is focused on the Belgian and Dutch region and leading the mentoring program.

Noëlle Prat – BCE - Broadcasting Center Europe

Noëlle PRAT is a veteran media industry professional with 20+ years’ International Technology Sales Management experience, spanning system integrators, service providers and global leading Tech brands, selling strategic solutions and services to major Broadcast, Media & Entertainment Players across EMEA. She co-founded France based consultancy MEDIAKERN 5 years ago, through which she supports Media Technology Solution Vendors in their growth plans and go to market activities. She also consults for End Users going through important transformation projects as they try to find their ways in the maze of changing vendors' Business Models. In an industry transforming at fast pace, she defines herself as playing a dot-connector’s role facilitating technical and business change. She joined the RISE European initiative to broaden RISE’s spectrum in continental Europe, as one of the founding members, took part in setting up the European Advisory Board and currently leads the onboarding of Technology Partners & Sponsors. Based in France, she manages all RISE related activities in French Speaking regions. Noelle is a firm believer that diversity is key in transformation phases, and that diverse teams drive growth by naturally forcing creativity and innovation in all areas of the business. As a successful woman in Media Tech Sales, who was often the only one in the room, she'd like to use her experience to detect, attract and retain younger talents with potential in Sales that have a little je-ne-sais-quoi that others don't. Be bold, dare and care are her mantras. Vive la différence !

Silvia Botella – Synamedia

Silvia Botella is Senior Manager Marketing Communications at Synamedia, managing the end-to-end events strategy, from trade shows to webinars; industry affiliations, and external communications. Silvia has more than 15 years of experience in management positions within marketing and sales, with a strong focus on digital transformation, brand management, and international business development. Silvia has developed a wide career in the Media Industry, navigating uncertainty in a highly changing industry - from introducing new business lines in a company to generating business growth through sales and marketing strategy. Since Silvia moved from the rights media sector to the broadcast tech side, she has experienced the lack of women representation in the industry. The fact is that many talented women are moving this industry forward but very few have visibility or have access to managing and C-level roles. Silvia is convinced that change is possible, though collaboration and community work done by women, for women and between women. Silvia is based in Barcelona (Spain) and joined the Rise Europe Advisory Board to focus on Spain and Portugal, leading the marketing activities and events.

Alexandra Maier - CGI

Alexandra is a passionate Tech Marketing expert with over 20 years of experience. She’s leading global Marketing & Communications for the Broadcast segment of CGI, one of the largest IT consulting firms in the world.

Since January 2024 she has been a member of the European Board for Rise with a mission to boost diversity in the German speaking broadcast market.

Before joining CGI, Alexandra led the EMEA Marketing organization at Avid and also worked as a freelance consultant for a few years running EMEA + APAC Marketing for Dalet among other client projects.

Before entering the Media Tech industry, Alexandra has worked in various leading Marketing positions for well-known brands like Apple, Adobe and Autodesk, both in California as well as in Europe.

She lives in Munich and calls San Francisco her second home. In her free time, she enjoys being outdoors in the mountains for hiking or skiing and she’s a passionate yogini. She loves traveling, cooking and is a firm believer that life is too short for bad coffee.

Hilary Roschke - SDVI & Rise North America Chair

Hilary is the Vice President of Strategic Operations at SDVI. The Strategic Operations group is focused on keeping the company operating efficiently and effectively at scale while maintaining culture and sharp focus on customer success. Under Hilary’s leadership, the group operates at the nexus of people, technology and process to ensure optimal outcomes for SDVI, their customers, and their partners, Hilary received her degree in Electronic Media and Film and has worked in the Media Industry since 2004 in a variety of operational and strategic roles. Over her career she has optimized complex operational and technical ecosystems, working at the front of major cloud transformation initiatives at one major media company. Hilary also served in business management capacity, working in strategic roles for a fortune 500 company, helping navigate executives and organizations through major inflection points like re-branding, re-organization and large-scale company acquisitions. With her relentless focus on improvement, Hilary has helped drive organizational change, technological change, operational efficiency and increase business value/ROI in the media industry. She believes strongly in continuous change management, cross functional collaboration, and despises process for process’s sake. This continuous analysis and filtering of opportunities for improvement allows her to work with stakeholders to target the most meaningful efforts at the appropriate time.

ErinRose Widner - Verizon Business Group

ErinRose Widner has been a business development leader in the M&E and Technology space for over twenty years, creating transformational partnerships and innovative solutions for WB, Fox, Paramount, ViacomCBS, Google, Microsoft and Apple. She currently oversees Global Business Development for M&E, Studios and Emerging Technologies for Verizon. Widely recognized as an expert in her field, Widner has been involved in a number of industry groups that drive thought leadership and innovation including SMPTE, HPA, WICT, NAMIC, IEEE, The Sundance Institute, Film Independent, ETC and Women in Film. She is also incredibly passionate about improving gender and diversity representation in the M&E and Technology space, and is thrilled to now serve on the board of directors at Rise.

Christine Purse - ignite strategic communications

Christine launched ignite in 2005 after a decade as VP at Hollywood’s post production bastion LaserPacific. There she built a team of in-house producers that served high end studio and creative clients’ needs in an expanding technological environment. Her time at LaserPacific gave her hands-on experience in the powerful intersection between technology and creativity and the incredible role it plays in filmmaking. Christine began her media career at a Denver PBS station, and moved to an advertising agency as broadcast producer. In that role, she became a Regional Emmy winner and earned a fellowship at the American Film Institute. Upon graduation from AFI, she launched a production company that produced award winning music videos and independent films. It was then, shooting film and ¾” video, that she fell in love with the “how can we do that” which intrigued her almost as much as the stories she was telling. From agency days to the road that led to ignite, Christine sees herself as absolutely lucky to have worked closely with amazing talent, iconic and emerging companies, influential organizations and brilliant technologists. And in some cases she has even gotten to spread the word about game changing developments. ignite works closely with companies behind the lens as well as leading guilds and organizations including the American Society of Cinematographers, American Cinema Editors, Hollywood Professional Association, Association of Moving Image Archivists and others. She co-founded and produces ACE's EditFest Los Angeles and EditFest London events. The pandemic era added Digital Event Producer to her portfolio and she produced EditFest Global and the HPA Awards as online global events. She is at work on a slate of 2021 digital events. Christine holds a B.A. from the University of Colorado, and lives in Valley Village, California.

En Kelly - Apple, Inc.

En is a Senior Engineering Program Manager leading a team of technical project managers, technical media creatives, and user researchers within the Vision Products Group at Apple, Inc. A few of the shipping technologies En has supported include Vision Pro, Apple’s first spatial computer / 3D camera and ARKit RealityKit, and Reality Composer - enabling augmented reality experiences for iPhone and iPad devices around the world. Prior to coming to Apple, En worked with Microsoft as a producer shipping Microsoft HoloLens, one of the world's first wearable Augmented Reality computers.

Jill Porubovic - Jill Porubovic Consulting, LLC

Jill Porubovic has built a career of leadership success by delivering human-centered transformation across industries. Not one to sit by and wait for things to happen, she embraces technology and innovation, operational and service excellence strategies, organizational design, and communications to unlock opportunities for positive change. From startup businesses and divisions to Fortune 500 enterprises, Jill has earned the reputation as a difference maker and a builder of cultures where teams are inspired to deliver their best work—even during times of uncertainty and complexity. For these reasons, she is invited to speak about the areas of transformation, successful large-scale M&A migration, best-of-breed application and SaaS strategy, and the creation of customer change. The founder of Jill Porubovic Consulting, LLC., Jill draws upon more than 20 years of technology and operations leadership experience to guide client companies through their unique challenges. Her engagements have included work with gaming companies to structure communications and change management strategies. She is also a trusted advisor to companies across the evolving media and entertainment space with a focus on technology transformation and initiatives to leverage service as a differentiator.

Kate Fellion - Light Iron

Katie is Head of Business Development and Workflow Strategy at Light Iron. As one of Light Iron’s founders, she has been impacting the company’s evolution in workflow since 2009. She was instrumental in establishing Light Iron’s Outpost Mobile Post Systems, and she has produced a number of firsts in file-based finishing, including the first 6K DI (Gone Girl), the first studio feature cut on FCPX (Focus), and Amazon’s first HDR series (Transparent). Prior to launching Light Iron, Fellion worked at PlasterCITY Digital Post, where she played an integral role in the company’s first stereoscopic Digital Intermediate. Fellion is a member of the Producers Guild of America (PGA), Women In Film (WIF), and Women in Media, and is a past mentor for the Hollywood Professional Association (HPA). She is a graduate of Whittier College with a self-designed bachelor’s degree in Aspects of Contemporary Popular Culture and a minor in Film Studies. Fellion is also an avid equestrian and currently competes in Western Reining across the Southwest region.

Kathy-Anne McManus - CDK

Kathy-Anne “KAM” McManus is an executive with global experience leading, creating, growing, and managing profitable Software, Sales, and Services business units around the globe. She currently sits on CDK’s Executive Leadership Team (ELT) as EVP, Chief Customer Officer (CCO). In this newly created role, KAM will own the post-sales experience for all customers across Professional Services, Customer Success, Learning and Performance, Customer Care, and Consulting. KAM’s primary responsibility will be to drive customer satisfaction, retention, and loyalty—maximizing the value of CDK solutions while continuing to improve NPS and ensuring profitability and efficiency for the business. KAM joins CDK from Avid Technology where she served as the company’s first Chief Customer Experience Officer as it expanded its customer success strategy to enhance customer touchpoints and provide exceptional experiences. In a career that spans more than three decades, she also held senior leadership roles in the service and support organizations of technology providers including Adobe, Amdocs and Ericsson and telecommunications operator Telstra. Having lived and worked on three continents, KAM has extensive global experience implementing business process change, organizational effectiveness, and technical solutions in the ever-evolving world of software sales and delivery.

Meg Travis - Iron Mountain Entertainment Services (IMES)

Margaret ‘Meg’ Travis is the Director, Global Head of Marketing & Communications for Iron Mountain Entertainment Services (IMES). She leads industry and client engagement across North America, the United Kingdom and Europe. Travis is a Boston native who has spent the past two decades working with clients in B2B marketing, helping organizations to develop effective message and creative strategies from early conception to execution. With an A.B. in Vocal Performance from Stanford University, she began her career in 1993, working for the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. There she advised emerging classical and jazz artists on career opportunities, which sparked her interest in the business side of music. She holds an M.B.A in Marketing from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan and spent more than 12 years with global consulting firm Accenture, leading account-based and inbound marketing programs. Today, Travis is a fierce advocate for creators to prioritize preserving, protecting and archiving their assets. She is also passionate about the causes of music education and gender equality in the workplace, and volunteers on the boards of the Ipswich Music Art and Drama Association (her hometown arts education organization) and Rise North America.

Meghan Ross - Ateliere Creative Technologies

Meghan is a Chicago-based marketer that has been working in the Media, Entertainment and Technology sector for the majority of her career. Most of Meghan’s positions have been working with Partners - which she loves. A natural communicator, Meghan enjoys building and maintaining long-term relationships with her customers, vendors and partners. To this end, she is highly effective in working with diverse groups to successfully implement and execute programs that deliver results. Meghan’s extensive experience in marketing, sales and business development has given her a unique vantage point that allows her to more deeply understand the needs of her sales teams and create programs to best support their goals. Stakeholders appreciate her combination of “big picture” thinking and attention to detail. Meghan brings empathy, communication and organization to each position she holds. She has served on the board of Women in Film Chicago twice, helped launch the North American chapter of Rise and is proud to still be part of the board. Meghan has recently joined the team at Ateliere and is really excited to work with their industry leading partners. If you follow her on any social platform you will see she is a proud dog mom and features her fur kiddos frequently.

Michele Gauthier - Vice Media Group

Michele Gauthier is the Global Director of Production Transformation for Vice Media Group. The transformation unit is responsible for global strategic initiatives and operational alignment across the production business. Her background as a production executive lends to her ability to foster collaboration with cross-functional partners within production, post, and media technology. Michele previously held the role of Head of Production at Refinery29 in Toronto, Canada. She was brought on as a production expert to help translate the globally renowned brand into the Canadian market. Her priority was to continue delivering best-in-class content and high caliber service during this transition. Prior to Refinery29 she led the Integrated Production business at Vice Media in Canada where she successfully built an in-house branded production model. Michele continues to be inspired by the innovative work of her peers, colleagues, and the industry as a whole. Mentorship has played an integral role in her professional development and she is thrilled to be part of the Rise community to continue promoting knowledge sharing and connectivity.

Sandy Nasseri - MelroseINC

Sandy is the President and Co-Founder of MelroseINC, a WOSB and WBENC certified woman-owned business. In 2003, Sandy opened MelroseMAC to meet the accelerating needs in the media, technology sector. She understood the business challenges facing the entertainment marketplace and launched a company that would meet those needs. In less than one year’s time, MelroseMAC’s second location was opened in Burbank to accommodate the immediate needs of major studios. Today, MelroseINC has three distinct divisions: MelroseMAC, our experience centers; MelroseSRC, our national procurement and distribution arm; and MelroseTEC, our systems integrations group that designs end-to-end technology solutions. Sandy’s passion, intuition, and commitment to excellence have fueled her success as a leader of a multi-million-dollar company that is respected by its partners and customers, loved by its employees, and seen as unique in an industry where standing out is nearly impossible. MelroseINC has been partnered with Apple since 2003, starting as an Apple Specialist. For 15 years, Sandy has been an integral member of the Apple Reseller community, serving on the board for nine years. In 2017, MelroseINC was initiated into Apple’s inaugural class of Apple’s Premier Partner Program, exhibiting the ever-growing relationship MelroseINC has with Apple. As years passed, many of MelroseMAC’s customers were asking to have Sandy and her team not only procure products and repair machines, but to help install and implement the systems they were purchasing. With that, MelroseTEC was born. MelroseTEC provides clients with customized, large-scale solutions to create their infrastructure, or improve upon an existing one. With a state-of-the-art proprietary lab, our engineers specialize in developing and configuring the best possible workflow, IP architectures, control rooms, machine rooms, distribution infrastructures and quality solutions to meet each customer’s business needs. Together with our esteemed partners, MelroseINC provides products and services to customers such as Disney, Netflix, Paramount Pictures, Fox, RedBull, Cedars-Sinai Hospital, Universal Music Group, Bad Robot, Viacom, NASA, Snapchat, and more… As a woman-in-business leader, working in a male dominated industry, Sandy strives to be a voice for women in her marketplace. She serves on the Apple Advisory Reseller Board; serves as the President and Chair of the AVID Customer Association for the Reseller Channel; and is active in the American Express Women’s Initiative. Privately, Sandy is dedicated to the concept of repairing the world. She serves on the board of The Book Foundation and actively supports Alexandria House in Los Angeles. As a veteran of the military, Sandy promotes veteran hiring in both her own company and that of her colleagues. Sandy earned her degree in Electronics and Electrical Engineering at ORT Technical Institute. She lives with her husband and two children in Los Angeles and is active in her neighborhood community and her children’s schools.

Kate Wendelboe - BT

A strategist and accredited executive coach, Kate is Co-Director of Strategy and Growth for BT Security and founder of Recalibration Coaching. She previously ran the strategy and proposition development of a portfolio of BT’s smaller businesses and has also been a Director of BT's Media & Broadcast business. Before joining BT, Kate was in marketing and then journalism at Reuters - she was one of the team that started Reuters Insider, Reuters’ OTT platform for financial professionals. Kate also has an MBA from Cambridge’s Judge Business School where she specialised in Culture, Arts and Media Management.

Shivani Kochhar - Sr. Manager Sales Systems, Technology and Operations, Warner Bros. Discovery

Shivani Kochhar has a rich experience of enterprise applications and has spent 20+ years in the Media and Broadcast Industry. She has collaborated with customers from across the APAC region to envision, plan and implement innovative and transformational technical solutions.

Being a Media Industry expert, she has implemented Broadcast Management Systems, Ad Sales and Affiliate Sales Management Systems, Content Scheduling Systems and Analytics Tools in Asia, New Zealand, and Latin America at Discovery Inc.

Shivani is based in India and currently working as Sr. Manager Sales Systems in Warner Bros. Discovery, APAC.

A firm believer in gender equality and women empowerment, she has taken on the role of a mentor and spokesperson in RISE, a not-for-profit global organization which works towards supporting Women in Media and Broadcast Technology.

Her pursuit of excellence has led her be a finalist for the RISE 2022 award in category of Business Operations and the winner of Wonder Women 2023 in Super Achiever category by IndianTelevision.com. and winner of Pioneer Women in M&E 2023 by Digital Studio, ITP.

She has also been appointed to lead as an advisor to India Blockchain Alliance initiative of building and developing women in emerging technologies.

Sulina Menon - Founder, Mediapower

Sulina is a senior professional with nearly 4 decades of work experience in the advertising and communication industry. She has held leadership positions at top ad companies where she shepherded renowned global & domestic brands such as Airtel, Gillette, Nestle, Samsung, Dabur, GSK, Renault, Apollo, Levi’s, SC Johnson, Ferrero, Hewlett Packard, Bacardi and helped shape their brand strategies. Her versatile leadership style and multi-disciplinary experience across
agencies, broadcasters, brands, and digital publishers like Zee Group, Carat Media, Cheil, Starcom, Omnicom Group, make her a well-
rounded industry expert.

Endowed with a growth mindset and a result-oriented approach, Sulina has made a significant impact on the businesses she has worked with, driving their growth and success. Her ability to adapt, learn, and continuously upskill herself has allowed her to pioneer innovative solutions for brands and stay ahead of the evolving media landscape.

Asha Kulkarni -Vice President - Partnerships & Ecosystem, ZEE

Asha Kulkarni is the Vice President of Zee, leading Zee5 partnerships and technical initiatives for platform strategy, with a strong focus on OEM partner collaboration for faster GTM from features and user experience perspectives. She manages relationships with leading OEM partners like Apple, Roku, Google,

AWS, Microsoft, LG, Samsung , ensuring their roadmaps align with Zee's features. Her efforts include developer connections, GTM, tech enablement, pilots for establishing Zee as an innovative platform company. With over 20 years of industry experience, Asha excels in launching and scaling OTT/D2C products in India, securing multiyear contracts, and forging strong partnerships. She has notable achievements like launching the world's first Android STB with Airtel and I am also valued as a pioneering woman in media by the M&E association of India . I am passionate about driving growth and innovation in the OTT/D2C space and leveraging emerging technologies to create value for customers and consumers. Asha holds a bachelor's degree in engineering.

Nupur Srivastava - Head Sales - Emerging Business and Markets - SonyLiv

Nupur Srivastava has recently taken on the role of Vice President and Head of Monetization & Partnerships for Emerging Business & Markets at Sony Pictures Networks India, specifically focusing on their digital platform, SonyLiv.

Before her current position, Nupur served as the lead for monetization for Viacom18's special interest verticals with global content & formats, including Youth, Music, English, and Kids Entertainment. She played a pivotal role in establishing the MTV branded content vertical and successfully monetizing iconic youth IPs, in collaboration with JioCinema. With over 20 years of diverse experience in integrated media marketing, across multiple genres and platforms, Nupur has contributed significantly to driving high-value businesses at leading media houses like Sahara India, Hindustan Times, Radio City, and Midday. Her career also includes valuable experience in the Edutech and FMCG sectors, showcasing her versatility and adaptability.

Nupur’s accomplishments is highlighted by her recent accolade as the winner of IndianTelevision’s Wonder Women 2023 award in the Super Achiever category. A passionate advocate for learning and personal growth, she views mentoring as a pathway to self-awareness and development. Nupur actively participates in RISE, a global organization dedicated to empowering women in media and broadcast technology, where she mentors emerging talent. Committed to promoting gender equality and empowering women, Nupur believes that everyone deserves equal opportunities and that empowering women leads to stronger communities.

Ganesh Kaushic - Consultant | Advisor, Blockchain Alliance

For over 40 years, Ganesh Kaushic has been a pioneer in digital transformation and technological innovation within the media and entertainment sectors. Having held leadership positions at Masstech Innovations, IBM, NDTV, Pentamedia, Autodesk, and Prasad Studio, he is now a highly sought-after Transformation Advisor, guiding media and emerging technology companies through their transformational initiatives. Renowned throughout the industry for his extensive experience, expertise, and profound insights into technology and trends, Ganesh is a thought leader and an engaging communicator, but above all, he possesses an enduring passion for technology and a child's curiosity. With a background in complex, first-of-a-kind solutions, he excels at exploring new possibilities for both existing and emerging technologies.

Jai Daga - Vice President Technology, Sony Pictures Networks India

As a seasoned technology leader of over 26 years of experience with a proven track record across the USA, Norway, and India, My experience spans multiple geographies and industries, with extensive experience in Media broadcasting, streaming, and digital television. Have also gained expertise across supply chain of technology portfolio i.e., Enterprise applications, Digital Brand Services, IT Infra and Operations as well as Cyber security.

This have helped me cultivate a deep understanding of diverse technological landscapes and business environments, enabling me to consistently drive large-scale digital transformations that have had a lasting impact on organizations.In my current role as the Vice President of Technology at Sony Pictures Networks Limited, I have been at the forefront of innovation, operations, budgeting, and agile development. One of my most significant achievements was leading a multi-million-dollar digital transformation program that involved delivering critical application architecture blueprints.Before joining Sony, I spent over a decade at Viacom 18 Media Private Limited in several key leadership roles. Also drove the digital transformation and user engagement agenda by integrating innovative technologies such as Google Assistant, AR, 360-degree views, gamification, etc enhancing user engagement and brand interaction across digital platforms.

My professional journey has also included pivotal roles at Syntel India Limited, Oracle India and Oracle USA, Satyam Computer Services Ltd, Zenith Limited, and Venus Wire Ltd. Across these positions, I have consistently optimized processes, implemented innovative solutions, and led high-performing teams.

Rakhi Sundar - Senior Director – Localization Coordination - Deluxe

An inspirational leader with over 20 years of Localization Operations experience. Rakhi has led teams across India, Europe, and the US, with their multi-cultural areas being an advocate for excellence and with a track record of running end-to-end project delivery of new innovations. She comes from the world of languages where she’s even Mastered in the Spanish language. Her entrepreneurial spirit reflects in her professional career spanning decades. She is extremely passionate about girls’ rights, and empowerment of women where she’s a Trustee at an NGO, Baale Mane.

Jyothi Nayak - Executive Vice President, Prime Focus Technologies

Jyothi Nayak is the Executive VP at Prime Focus Technologies (PFT).
Jyothi is an accomplished and visionary leader having a distinguished and remarkable career spanning 25 years in managing business and operations, in Media, IT, ITES Healthcare and Hospitality industries.

Currently based out of Singapore, Jyothi is the Business Unit head for two of the fastest growing verticals, Digital Media and Localization services at PFT.
She is very high performing, strategic thinking, passionate and self‐motivated leader managing multiple global large-scale operations, providing internal employee development, team effectiveness and customer delight, with a very strong focus on P&L.

Jyothi’s inclusive leadership ensures diverse voices are valued, cultivating loyalty and empowerment within her team. With a strong understanding of supply chain ecosystem and digital media her strategic initiatives have expanded the company’s global footprint, increased client satisfaction, and set new industry standards for business at PFT.

She leads by example and is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

Jyothi has a Masters degree in business management and a Diploma in Computer Applications.

Shweta Jain - Vice President - Sales, TO THE NEW

With 25 years of extensive work experience including 15 years of team management in roles across software development, cloud computing and business development, Shweta has a deep understanding of the challenges as well as the innovation that media businesses thrive on, which in turn has helped her earn the trust of many senior executives across APAC. In her current role as VP Sales working with To The New in Singapore, she works with large enterprises and digital native organisations on their strategic initiatives to leverage cloud and AI solutions to transform and grow their businesses.

Peter Bruce - Snr Manager Channel Sales, Harmonic

Peter Bruce is a 35-year veteran of the broadcast and media industry. After gaining an Engineering HND in Broadcast and Communications at Ravensbourne University. He began his career at Digital Visions, Austria and has worked for Ampex, Sony, Philips Broadcast and Grass Valley. Peter has been the IABM Director of APAC. He now works for Harmonic Inc. as a Snr Manager Channel Sales. In his present roll he is specialising in Partnerships, Reseller Networks, Business Development and Business Growth in APAC.

Gayathiri Guliani - Founder and CEO, Kleos Entertainment Group

With a vast and illustrious career in the broadcasting and motion pictures industry, she has been involved in over 55 films and successfully sold over 2500 hours of content worldwide, spanning more than 70 markets. She is widely recognized as a trailblazer in international business, licensing, syndication, and distribution, having consistently achieved remarkable milestones by opening new overseas markets for Indian films. Notably, she made history by pioneering the release of "3 Idiots" in Taiwan, South Korea, and China, which revolutionized the commercial prospects for Bollywood films in these territories.

Sonam Dave - Marketing Director - Women Emerging

Sonam is a Marketing and Branding leader with a passion for bringing B2B brands to life via powerful storytelling, and execution-oriented marketing strategies. Her expertise lies in designing integrated branding and marketing strategies, developing and implementing processes and performance metrics, building and leading high-performance teams, and contributing to bottom-line growth. In her 15-year career span, she has helped enterprises achieve 1.5x growth by driving multi-locational teams and integrated B2B marketing strategies that not only generated sales and customer delight but also led to building strong employer brands. Sonam currently is the Marketing Director with Women Emerging, a movement that is redefining leading so that more women choose to lead. Sonam’s experience spans across B2B SaaS, IT Solutions, Outsourcing, Recruitment, Finance and Not for profit.

Shweta Jain - Vice President - Sales, TO THE NEW and Rise APAC Chair

Shivani Kochhar - Sr. Manager Sales Systems, Technology and Operations, Warner Bros. Discovery

Shivani is based in India and currently working as Sr. Manager Sales Systems in Warner Bros. Discovery, APAC.

She has also been appointed to lead as an advisor to India Blockchain Alliance initiative of building and developing women in emerging technologies.

Shauna Purcell - Regional Sales Manager, Riedel Communications

Shauna is a creative, motivated, and passionate sales professional in the broadcast, media and entertainment space, with extensive experience in a variety of sales and marketing roles throughout her time at technology vendors, Riedel Communications and Avid Technology.

Currently serving as Regional Sales Manager at Riedel, Shauna leverages her expertise to drive business growth and foster meaningful client relationships with the overall goal of solving business challenges and achieving customer success through the experience and solutions provided.

In addition to her professional achievements, Shauna is deeply committed to advocating for diversity and inclusion within the Broadcast and Media industry. As the Chair of the Board for the Rise Mentoring Program ANZ Chapter, she is dedicated to empowering women and the next generation of media leaders. Originally founded in the UK, through the support of numerous individuals, the program has expanded globally with multiple chapters, and Shauna is excited about its potential for positive change for Women in the industry at both a global and local level. On a personal level, Shauna has been incredibly fortunate to have experienced the immense benefits of mentoring for one’s career, and continues to thrive off of her experiences with mentoring, which is one of the pivotal reasons Shauna feels so passionately about the importance of mentoring and paving it forward for the future leaders in Broadcast, Media & Entertainment.

Shauna’s variety of career experiences to date, inclusive of her experiences with Rise, complemented by continuous leadership support throughout her career and phenomenal mentors, has not only inspired Shauna, but sparked a strong drive to accelerate her career at a rapid pace and continuously strive for success, with strong aspirations for leadership.

Melissa Soobratty - Senior Media Director, World Table Tennis

Senior Media Director at World Table Tennis (WTT) and oversees all areas related to content to drive forward and further professionalise the organisation’s vastly expanding media operations. This includes overseeing commercial broadcast deals, live production plus social and digital media. She has accrued a wealth of experience in the fields of sports media, OTT, business development, strategy, and production over the years both in Europe and Asia. Her previous roles include Vice President, Media at Football Marketing Asia (FMA), Business Development Director, APAC at Endeavor Streaming plus commercial roles at StarHub, Setanta Africa, Fox Sports, and BBC Worldwide.

Peter Bruce - Snr Manager Channel Sales, Harmonic

Rupali Sakar - Senior Manager, Yotta Data Services

Rupali Sarkar is currently working as a Senior Executive‐ Sales & Ops Support at ARK Infosolutions, Mumbai, a renowned media distributor organization in India. In this role, she is responsible for the end-end business development and management across Pan India. She works closely with end customers and resellers/partners to improve workflows and constantly build and maintain long-term relationships with them. Rupali possesses 12+ years of rich and diverse experience in Media Broadcast and AV industry across Sales, Pre-sales, Engineering and Business Development and she really enjoys the process of taking an idea and turning it into a real project. Having started her career with an intense passion to work in the creative world, she completed her education in electronics and telecommunications engineering with a post-graduation in media management. She is also a certified Trainer and the Leadership Coach and also started a Career & Wealth management coaching programs for women since January 2022.

Sharifah Ahmad - CMO, Torque Video Systems

As the CMO and Head of Global Projects for Torque Video Systems, Sharifah orchestrates all aspects of publicity and driving brand growth in line with the overall business strategy, while supporting operational execution. She also oversees project management, from initiation to implementation. In between business travels and demanding project schedules, thanks to a supportive work environment, Sharifah lives the spirit of volunteerism through various community services, as well as academic programmes with the youth.

Shauna Purcell – Rise ANZ Chairwoman & Regional Sales Manager, RIEDEL Communications

Sam Yee - Rise ANZ Mentoring Program Lead & Product and Careers Advisor, Former Chief Product Officer & Head of Product

Sam Yee is a seasoned Product Management Leader with an extensive track record spanning over 20 years in the UK and Australia. Her career has been defined by a relentless passion for consumer technology in sports and media particularly in SaaS/OTT subscription platforms. With a strong background in strategy, digital product development, personalisation, data analytics, and insights, Sam has held pivotal roles at industry giants like AFL, Kayo Sports, Seven West Media (Channel 7), Guardian Australia, and FOX SPORTS. More recently, Sam has been shaping the future of sports and health technology through her work with start-ups and visionary founders as Chief Product Officer/Advisor. Whilst being a sports fanatic fuelled her professional journey, her natural energy and connections with people ignited the inspiration for career coaching and mentoring.

Monica Forlano - Rise ANZ Women’s Health Lead & Former Head of AFL Studios, Australian Football League

Monica Forlano is the Head of AFL Studios which is the production and in-house creative agency of the Australian Football League. Monica has over 20 years of media industry experience ranging from managing international operations of cable television in Europe, to leading broadcast channels and content production departments in Australia. Her key career achievements include developing marketing and business transformation plans around media creation and distribution, successful launch campaigns for major television programs and sports documentary production. Monica is also the Chair of Endometriosis Australia, the preeminent peak body for endometriosis and the largest non-government funder of research into this disease suffered by an estimated 830,000 Australians.

Pip Warren – Media Asset Management Professional Services Manager, Avid

Pip Warren's career in broadcasting has spanned many countries and cultures but has focused predominantly on international News and Current Affairs television coverage. Born in England where she was an apprentice Video Editor and then a Director for a London production company, followed by Sky TV (UK), and then moved to Hong Kong to join Star TV as their News Operations Manager, and as part of the team to set up Star News India. Pip moved to Australia to take up a senior managerial position with the ABC. Pip now lives in Melbourne, is an Australian citizen and works for Avid, a broadcast hardware, software, and solutions provider, headquartered in the USA, as a Broadcast Consultant managing and delivering project-based solutions and services worldwide. Pip is still very much enjoying what she does and the company of likeminded professionals. She's motivated by innovation, the rush of creating TV, and the satisfaction of assisting with numerous fantastic projects. Pip is a Life Member of the Hong Kong Foreign Correspondents’ Club, and a member of the Brighton Yacht Club, a PADI – Dive Master and is also a qualified PRINCE2® Production Manager Practitioner. If there’s time, Pip chooses to travel, sail, scuba dive, cycle, swim, eat out or cook at home, and as many new things that she can find to try.

Will Munkara-Kerr – Enterprise Sale Manager, Avid

Will Munkara-Kerr is the Enterprise Sales Manager for Australia and New Zealand at Avid. After beginning his career in the Media Technology sector as an Avid Enterprise Support role looking after Australian and New Zealand broadcasters and post production facilities, he spent the best part of a decade working in the wider Asia-Pacific region. Two years with Avid's Bid Management Team in Singapore was followed by six years in Hong Kong with EVS, where he started as a Technical Specialist before moving into a Sales Management role covering - at varying points - regions from India and Bangladesh; across to Japan and Korea; down to Australia and New Zealand; and everywhere in-between. He returned to Australia in 2016 as Technical Director for APAC with Ericsson Broadcast and Media Services, prior to running the Oceania business for French compression vendor Ateme. He rejoined Avid in 2022 to manage an awesome sales team and is based in Sydney.

Olivia Grimshaw – Head of Video and Product Operations, Nine

Olivia Grimshaw started her career in London in the theatre industry and transitioned into commercial television. After relocating to Sydney, Australia Olivia continued in broadcast operations for cable and commercial television. Upon returned from 3 years in the Netherland Olivia expanded into digital and online consulting for an Australian Sports Code. Olivia is currently providing content solutions to the media industry as the Presales and Customer Success Manager APAC at Grass Valley.

Nina Walsh – Global Leader, Industry Business Development, AWS Media, Entertainment, Games & Sports Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Nina Walsh is the Head of Business Development, APJ & Americas for Media & Entertainment at AWS. She joined AWS in 2020 to lead M&E strategy for the region and is a global leader for Content Production, with over a decade of experience in visual effects (VFX) and animation. Prior to AWS Nina held senior leadership roles in business operations, strategy, commercial, creative, and technology. She led large-scale digital transformation and strategic growth programs for Tier 1 Film and Television production studios in the US, Canada, and Australia. Nina is an industry leader in her field, drawing from more than 18 years in M&E, spanning broadcast, radio, sports, and content production. She enjoys public speaking and presents regularly at global industry events. Nina has held production, technology, and leadership roles across some familiar industry brands including: Fox Sports, AFL, NHL, MLS, Bell Media, Deluxe, Company 3/Method, Encore Post & VFX, and Animal Logic. She is a passionate mentor and people leader who enjoys building inclusive and high-performing teams.

Nina holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Sydney, and is a member of industry association, the Visual Effects Society (VES).

Manda Hatter – Head of Operations, Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)

Manda is a passionate Television industry professional who started over 35 years ago as one of the first female camera operators in Australia and since then has worked across all facets of TV including various Production & Operational roles and has spent the last 23 years in Senior Leadership.

Manda’s main focus over the past few years has been building values based collaborative teams and leading major transformation projects which included developing and implementing technical systems, organisational restructuring, streamlining processes and productivity improvements. Manda’s strengths lie in building a motivated and committed team with 360 degree collaboration as a key element.

A proven leader of large and complex teams, Manda has a focus on building sustainable change in the culture of the organisations she works for. Manda has a strong focus on Diversity and Inclusion and believes in bringing your whole self to work.

Jan 2017, Manda moved to the ABC as Head of Operations and quickly became the LGBTQIA+ Champion for the ABC. Manda founded, and Chaired ABC Pride from 2017 to 2023 when she handed over the role to two Co-Chairs to elevate their vision for ABC Pride. in 2018 the ABC entered the AWEI Awards (Australian Workplace Equality Index) for the first time.

Manda led ABC Pride to it’s history making inaugural participation in the Mardi Gras parade in 2019 and was incredibly proud of her team at ABC Pride whose work throughout the past 5 years saw the ABC to receiving three awards both at at the AWEI 2021 & AWEI 2022 events. Most improved employer (2021),
Gold employer (2021 & 2022), Best External Media (2021 & 2022) and CEO of the Year (2022). Manda also worked with Executives and Senior Leadership to ensure the Mardi Gras and Sydney WorldPride events across 2021 – 2024 came home to the ABC as host broadcaster.

Outside of her leadership role in television, Manda has been involved in the LGBTQI community since returning from the US in 1997. She held the roles of Secretary and Ride Leader with Dykes on Bikes before becoming President for the term 2014 – 2016.

During her time at the ABC, Manda has been involved in several committee’s including being a Mentor both for the ABC and for ‘Rise Women in Broadcast’ (where she is also on the board); on the Sustainability Committee and Modern Slavery Sub-committee; Diversity Advocates Network and is a Peer
Supporter.

Tanya Kelly – Managing Director APAC, Xytech Systems

Tanya is a highly experienced professional in the broadcast and media industry, having over a decade of experience at the senior management level. She began her career in London's Soho, working with major film distribution companies. Her operational roles included being a videotape operator, editor, and telecine colourist, where she worked on new documentaries and restored old films. Moving up, she joined the ABC in Australia, utilizing her skills for colour grading and restoration in their digital project. Later, she became Head of Studio Operations at Fox Sports, managing and developing the studio crew and facilities teams and facilitating their move to a new location while keeping broadcasting uninterrupted. In 2016, she founded her own consultancy, specializing in project management and technology solutions for the broadcast and media sector. She worked with numerous broadcasters and vendors, integrating resource management systems for automation and self-provisioning. Tanya's strong relationship with ScheduALL led to a partnership with Xytech in 2021. She helped deliver the Xytech Media Operations Platform to Australia and New Zealand, improving efficiency for large broadcasters and is now Xytech’s Managing Director in APAC. With an educational background in Psychology and English Language and Literature, Tanya is an innovative and collaborative leader. She excels at driving successful transformation projects, understanding processes, and engaging stakeholders for effective change. Her expertise in scheduling systems and workflows and her prioritisation of training and engagement ensures optimal technology utilization and smooth business operations.

Trupti Patel – Head of Program Management, Telstra Broadcast Services

I came to Australia in 1995, with my degree in Bachelor in Architecture. I have worked in IT and Telecommunications industry since 2000 and was the lead web site designer, and PM to deliver the VF Mobile Number Portability for their supplier. Over the years I have worked in Retail, banking and telecom industry, as I found my interest in Project, program management and as analyst shine strong. In 2009 I joined Telstra for the T-Box program of work and since then worked on IPTV and media broadcast projects and program of work. In 2015 with Telstra's acquisition of Globecast Australia, I had the opportunity to deliver the relocation program of work and since then have grown with the company.

In my current role, I am leading a team of project managers, program managers and business analyst in delivery of broadcast media projects and program of works for Telstra Broadcast Services.

Anna Lockwood -Global Head of Media & Sports, Telstra

Anna is an experienced media industry executive specialising in broadcasting and sports. She started her career as a journalist and documentary film producer with a focus on natural history and wildlife programming. After ten years working in the wild she moved from India to London to join the media technology business as a consultant. Anna has since had global leadership roles across EMEA, APAC, and the Americas. She currently works at Telstra at the convergence of the traditional broadcast industry and leading edge telecommunications and digital platforms. In addition to her role at Telstra, Anna represents Telstra as a Director on the IABM (International Association of Broadcast Manufacturers) Board, and is an Advisory Board Member and Mentor at RISE, a group for women in broadcast. She brings her interests in innovation, sports, and women in technology to her board and industry engagement.

Sophie Belluomo - General Manager, The HELM Technology

Sophie is a highly accomplished executive and visionary leader, boasting 16 years of exceptional experience in driving innovative content for broadcast television, digital campaigns and high-profile adrenaline-spiking live events. As General Manager of The HELM Technology, Sophie supports the CEO and oversees day to day operations, spearheading cutting-edge productions and cultivating lucrative client relationships.

Renowned for her operational expertise, Sophie seamlessly executes complex projects, mitigating risks and ensuring compliance. Her astute analytical skills inform data-driven decisions, driving business growth, efficiency and excellence. A pioneer in embracing emerging technologies, Sophie propels innovative initiatives, elevating business models, service delivery and operational agility.

Her illustrious career includes a distinguished tenure as General Manager at crybaby Productions and senior roles at FOXTEL, where she orchestrated landmark projects such as the Country Music Awards and Foxtel's AACTA Awards broadcast live from Los Angeles.

Dedicated to empowering women in the industry, Sophie actively mentors and generously shares her expertise to inspire and nurture the next generation of female leaders in media and production.

Become a Rise Member

Membership to Rise is free and is open to everyone working across, or aspiring to work in, the broadcast and media technology sector.

As part of our community, you will be invited to all of our networking events / conferences / panels, as well as be asked to nominate your colleagues in our annual Rise Awards.

Each member is invited to apply for our annual Mentoring Programme and we are always looking for volunteers for our Rise Up Academy programme and for contributors to our reports too.

Please follow our social media channels for the most up to date and relevant news – we can’t wait to see you soon!

ABOUT RISE

GET INVOLVED

EVENTS

ABOUT RISE

ABOUT THE PROGRAMME

UK MENTEES AND MENTORS 2024

EU MENTEES AND MENTORS 2024

NA MENTEES AND MENTORS 2024

APAC AND INDIA MENTEES AND MENTORS 2024

ANZ MENTEES AND MENTORS 2024

RISE AWARDS 2024

2023 SHORTLISTS AND WINNERS

RISE C-SUITE PROGRAMME

RISE ACADEMY

About Rise

Rise opens up opportunities for women by:

Meet the Rise team

Sadie Groom

Nicki Fisher

Donna Smith

Lucy Seaton

Carla Maroussas

Catherine Cywinska

Jodi Morelli

Global presence

Non-Executive Directors

Nicki Fisher - Rise Chair

Sadie Groom - Bubble Agency and Rise Founder

Donna Smith - Rise Managing Director

Samantha Harrison

Claire Da Silva

Namata Sahmah

Tim Williams

Charlotte Wheeler

UK Advisory Board

Nicki Fisher - Rise Chair

Sadie Groom - Bubble Agency and Rise Founder

Donna Smith - Rise Managing Director

Abigail Hughes - ITV Studios

Andy Beale - BT Sport

Mark Harrison - DPP

Anne-Louise Buick - Platform Comms

Lesley Johnson - BBC Studios

Lisa Collins - IABM

Jackie Howes - Discovery

Lucy O'Brien - RIEDEL Communications

Fiona Burton - Pixit Media

Catriona Tate - Aceedo.tv

Brian Clark - Maverick Media Services Ltd

Katie Colledge - ARRI

Dushi Thangarajah - Deluxe

Kathryn Lancaster - Sky

Roberta Cambio - Brightcove

Europe Advisory Board

Larissa Görner – Proximus Media House & Rise Europe Chair

Noëlle Prat – BCE - Broadcasting Center Europe

Silvia Botella – Synamedia

Francesco Struzzi - Video Progetti

Rosa Pereiro - Backlight

Alexandra Maier - CGI

North America Advisory Board

Hilary Roschke - SDVI & Rise North America Chair

ErinRose Widner - Verizon Business Group

Christine Purse - ignite strategic communications

En Kelly - Apple, Inc.

Jill Porubovic - Jill Porubovic Consulting, LLC

Jane Sung - Cinedeck

Kate Fellion - Light Iron

Kathy-Anne McManus - CDK

Meg Travis - Iron Mountain Entertainment Services (IMES)

Meghan Ross - Ateliere Creative Technologies

Michele Gauthier - Vice Media Group

Sandy Nasseri - MelroseINC

Kate Wendelboe - BT

India Advisory Board

Shivani Kochhar - Sr. Manager Sales Systems, Technology and Operations, Warner Bros. Discovery

Sulina Menon - Founder, Mediapower

Asha Kulkarni -Vice President - Partnerships & Ecosystem, ZEE

Nupur Srivastava - Head Sales - Emerging Business and Markets - SonyLiv

Ganesh Kaushic - Consultant | Advisor, Blockchain Alliance