Bridget Baker, president of TV networks distribution at NBCUniversal, and Jerry Kent, chairman and chief executive officer at Suddenlink Communications, are the 2012 recipients of cable’s Vanguard Award for Distinguished Leadership.
Baker and Kent top the list of Vanguard Award winners who will be recognized for their outstanding contributions to the cable industry at a luncheon and awards ceremony during The Cable Show 2012 in Boston in May.
The Vanguard Awards will be presented by Amy Tykeson, chair of the NCTA Vanguard Awards Committee, president and CEO of BendBroadband, and a member of the NCTA’s board of directors.
Distinguished Leadership
Each year, two awards are presented, to one man and one woman, who have consistently demonstrated the highest level of cable industry leadership.
This year’s recipients are:
- Baker – A cable industry pioneer, Baker has spent her career at NBCUniversal, helping to build a multi-billion-dollar cable portfolio. Named NBCUniversal’s first president of TV networks distribution in 2006, Baker oversees the North American distribution of NBCUniversal’s content across the cable, satellite and telecommunications industry. Baker is credited with developing NBCUniversal’s cable assets from inception, helping to transform the company from a dominant broadcaster of the 1980s to a 21st century multi-platform powerhouse.
- Kent – A prominent entrepreneur, pioneer and trailblazer in the telecommunications industry, Kent has an outstanding track record, which includes helping to build Suddenlink into the seventh-largest U.S. cable operator. Kent also serves as CEO of Cequel III, which he co-founded in January 2002. Cequel III is a telecommunications management company currently involved in the cable, data center, and tower services and construction businesses.
Cable Operations Management
This award recognizes the efforts of cable’s system managers, who work under intensely competitive conditions in today’s dynamic telecommunications environment and are critical to the cable industry’s success at the local level.
This year’s recipient is:
- Jill Campbell – As executive vice president and chief operations officer at Cox Communications, Campbell oversees the company’s day-to-day operations and ensures companywide alignment with competitive strategies to enhance marketplace execution and grow the company’s 6 million residential and commercial customers. She provides leadership for Cox departments and divisions, including field operations, field services, customer care, marketing and sales, and public affairs.
Programming
Cable’s creative programming services make the industry a leader in the home entertainment and news and information business. This award recognizes innovation, leadership and individual achievement of the NCTA’s programmer members.
This year’s honoree is:
- John Landgraf – As president and general manager of FX Networks, Landgraf oversees all aspects of entertainment and business operations of FX, FX Productions and Fox Movie Channel.
Science & Technology
This award honors individuals who have played a significant role in product improvement, as well as in the design and development of engineering techniques.
This year’s honoree is:
- Chuck Pagano – Pagano is executive vice president and chief technology officer of ESPN. Pagano joined ESPN in 1979, prior to its debut, and was named ESPN’s first chief technology officer in 2011. In this role as CTO, he continues to serve as ESPN’s executive vice president of technology, a position he assumed in 2005, but he now has duties across The Walt Disney Co.
Government & Community Relations
This award recognizes individuals who have had a significant impact on promoting a positive public image and advocating public policy positions for the cable industry at the national, state and/or local levels.
This year’s honoree is:
- Gail MacKinnon – As executive vice president and chief government relations officer at Time Warner Cable, MacKinnon oversees the company’s Washington, D.C., public policy office and is responsible for the company’s legislative and regulatory strategies.
Marketing
This award honors an individual who has been instrumental in the development of marketing approaches that significantly enhance cable’s public image and increase customers.
This year’s honoree is:
- Linda Schupack – As executive vice president of marketing at AMC, Schupack is responsible for the strategic oversight, management and implementation of the network’s multi-platform consumer and trade marketing activities, including advertising campaigns and consumer and advertising sales promotions.
Associates & Affiliates
This award recognizes the important contributions of equipment manufacturers and service suppliers to cable industry innovation, growth and progress.
This year’s honoree is:
- Dan Moloney – The president of Motorola Mobility is a 29-year veteran of Motorola. Moloney is responsible for the home business, which comprises the company’s video network infrastructure and home devices portfolios. In addition, he oversees the company’s focus on converged experience solutions, as well as Motorola Mobility’s advanced technology, supply chain, IT and government relations functions.
Young Leadership
The growth of cable is in large part due to the energy, vitality and creativity of the many young people working within the industry, and the Young Leadership Award recognizes those individuals who already have made a mark on the industry and its constituents. This year, two outstanding individuals will be recognized.
The honorees are:
- Tapan Dandnaik – As senior vice president of customer service and financial operations at Mediacom Communications, Dandnaik is responsible for customer service strategy and all call center-related activities at Mediacom.
- Jeffrey Hirsch – Hirsch is executive vice president and chief marketing officer of residential services at Time Warner Cable. Hirsch was appointed to his current role in 2011 and is responsible for corporate marketing and customer care for the company’s more than $16 billion residential business. As CMO, he oversees the development and management of the company’s brand architecture, bundling and pricing strategies, retail and Web channels, consumer research, and segmentation approaches.