Chris Llewellyn
President & CEO, FIPP, UK

Chris Llewellyn has been the president and CEO of FIPP since October 2009. He was formerly international managing director of Bauer Consumer Media (formerly Emap Consumer Media) since 1998.

After college (a degree in History, Politics and Maths), and three years marketing regional newspapers, he joined Emap in 1980 as a brand manager. At various times in his 29 years there he was marketing director of the Consumer Magazine division, group research director of Emap PLC, and between 1992 and 1998 he was based in Paris as director general of Emap France.

During his career he has had the honour of being appointed chairman of the Board of FEAP, the European Magazine Association, between 1996 and 1998. In 1999 he was appointed to the Board of FIPP and served as its chairman between 2005-2007.

Marius Cloete
Head of Research, PPA

Marius Cloete is an experienced media professional with more than 18 years’ experience in the publishing industry in both the United Kingdom and South Africa. After starting his media career in the journalistic field working as a reporter and news editor the challenges the media industry faces drew him into the world of marketing, research and media strategy.

In his current role as Head of Research for the Professional Publisher’s Association (PPA) in the United Kingdom he is tasked with sculpting research projects which confirms and elaborates on the crucial role magazine media still commands both on the media schedule and in consumers’ lives on behalf of the consumer magazine industry. He is actively involved with a number of international magazine media associations and serves on the research committees of the European Magazine Media Association (EMMA) and the Worldwide Magazine Media Association (FIPP).

Prior to his role at the PPA, he worked for DMGT, one of the largest newspaper publishers in the UK where he was tasked with leading change management through the application of research. Most notably he was part of the management team that successfully changed the fortunes of the group’s ailing London Evening Standard and further lead various projects which helped shape the way DMGT positioned and traded it’s highly successful media brands such as the Daily Mail, Mail Online and Metro.

Donald F. Brown
Managing Director, International Magazine Publishing

Donald F. Brown is Managing Director of International Magazine Publishing, LLC – a consultancy he formed in mid-2001 following a successful 34-year career at TIME Inc. The focus of the consultancy is training in “best practices” of all disciplines comprising the business side of media.

Brown also served as Adjunct Professor at Columbia University’s graduate School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) and New York University where he taught the business side of magazine publishing. He’s lectured at Renmin University School of Journalism and Peking University, and has served as a visiting professor at Shanghai International Studies University and Fudan School of Journalism (Shanghai). He was the 2012 keynote speaker at the Providence College Business School honors award ceremony.

During Brown’s 34 year career at TIME Inc., he held numerous management positions in and outside the United States – primarily for TIME Magazine-garnering experience in brand management; corporate strategy as well as strategic and tactical implementation.. He also served 3 years in the mid-80’s as Manufacturing & Distribution Director for PEOPLE Magazine, a 3+ million weekly publication where he contributed to record cost savings. Prior to moving back to New York in early 2000, Brown was based in Toronto, Canada where he served as President of TIME Canada for four years. During his tenure he re-established TIME’s profitability and leadership position in the market and led a high profile challenge to open the Canadian market to non-Canadian magazines for local advertising. Prior to his Canadian posting, Brown was based 7 years in Hong Kong and 4 years in Tokyo, Japan as Vice-President, Managing Director of TIME Inc., Asia, establishing and maintaining TIME Magazine as the #1 international magazine in the Asian region.

During his publishing career, Brown has been recognized for outstanding performance on numerous occasions – including being the recipient of the prestigious Briton Hadden Award, given annually to that individual who demonstrates the highest integrity in building relationships for TIME Magazine. As a training consultant for media, Brown has led numerous seminars promoting “best practices” across the entire business side of media including branding; media positioning; advertising sales; convergence; monetizing new media and leadership. Brown successfully shared his previous Olympic experiences during his Time Inc. career with the official Chinese media prior to the Beijing Olympic Games, enabling them to maximize their revenue potential. He currently is working with Mirror Books to maximize placement of five magazines and 30 books at U.S. newstands that attract high numbers of overseas Chinese visitors.

Additionally, Brown is a regular speaker at Columbia University to visiting international executives from broadcasting and print media. His blogs on media topics are currently appearing in Fortune China. Brown has lectured for the U.S State Department in their International Visitor Leadership Program, as well as the Spanish Graduate School IESE. Brown has also spoken at both Taiwan & Malaysia Magazine Association Conventions; Folio Magazine Summits in Chicago & NY; FIPP Conferences in London & Seoul; CMP’s Global Branding Summit in NY; The Independent Press Conference in San Francisco; The Rhode Island Collegiate Conference on Values-Based Leadership and the featured speaker at the 2013Taiwan Digital Publishing Workshop.

Educated at Providence College, Providence Rhode Island, he graduated with a B.A. in 1963. A U.S. Naval Air veteran; married 41 years to his wife Susan, has two grown children and resides on Long Island, New York

John Wilpers
Senior Director,
INNOVATION International
Media Consulting, US

John is the co-editor of the annual “Innovations in Magazines World Report” that INNOVATION creates for the world association of magazines (FIPP). The book reviewsthe best print and digital magazine innovations in the world.

John consults with media companies around the world focusing on multi-platform innovation, organizational integration, and customer-driven editorialmanagement to deliver multimedia content 24-7 across all platforms. He is currently working with the University of Virginia on their print and digital magazine after finishing projects with a Czech magazine and newspaper publishing company in Prague, a Washington, DCB2B magazine company, and a Norwegian newspaper group.

In his 40-year media career, John has worked at major metro daily newspapers, regional and national magazines, international newspaper groups, America Online(AOL), free commuter dailies, regional dailies, and major media websites.

Outside of journalism, John created a self-esteem-building soccer program for girlsages 2-10 that has graduated 4,200 girls since 1996 (hotshotssoccer.org). He is also a long-board surfer, and has performed as “Mother Ginger” in a Boston ballet company’s production of the “Nutcracker” for 18 years.

Ruth Feldman
VP, International Creative Director, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, US

Ruth Feldman was named Vice President, International Creative Director for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia in May 2008. In this position, she is responsible for all international operations for MSLO’s Publishing business, including overseeing international content, art directing, business development, budgets, forecasting and reporting, as well as identifying areas of incremental revenue potential and new business opportunities.

A talented media executive with extensive experience across all media platforms, Ms. Feldman joined MSLO from Rodale Publishing, where she oversaw all creative and editorial content for Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Prevention and Best Life magazines while managing the company’s 65 international magazine editions and developing brand extensions and special projects. Prior to that, she served as Creative Director for Hearst Magazines International. In this position Ruth launched Cosmopolitan. Harper’s Bazaar, Esquire, Good Housekeeping and O, The Oprah Magazine all over the world.

Ms. Feldman holds a B.F.A. in Communication and Design from The Ontario College of Art in Toronto, Canada. She has also held teaching positions at The City College of New York and New York University.

Yuko Tanaka
Director, Global Business Development & Foreign Rights, Nikkei Business Publications, Inc., Japan

Yuko Tanaka was born in Osaka, Japan on February 22, 1967. She spent five years of her girlhood in Montreal, Canada where she attended elementary and junior high schools. She graduated from Osaka University of Foreign Studies (majored in English linguistics) in 1989.

Upon graduation, Yuko joined Recruit Co., Ltd. where she was engaged in selling advertising for job listing magazines. In 1991, she took up an international position at Nikkei Business Publications and has been dedicated to this field ever since. Presently, she looks after all sorts of international projects from foreign rights negotiations to corporate communications and global marketing. Her main role currently involves media business development outside of Japan. Yuko has keen interests in building strong relationships with Taiwanese companies in ways and manners that will be mutually beneficial.

Nikkei BP is a media company that delivers information through a mix of magazines, books, websites, email newsletters, seminars and tradeshows. We are Japan’s leading provider of management, technology and lifestyle information, providing quality content in a broad range of fields from business to electronics, IT, medicine, construction, environment, health and entertainment.

HyunBin Kang
Executive Director, Head of LINE Business Development Division, LINE PLUS Corporation, Korea

Mr. HyunBin Kang is the Head of LINE Business Development Division at LINE PLUS Corporation, the world’s leading mobile platform innovator, which is joint-venture entity between Naver Corporation (former NHN Corporation) and LINE Corporation (former NHN Japan Corporation), newly organized in March 2013.

With his passion for global service and business exploration, Kang leads the global business development and market expansion at LINE PLUS. Prior to LINE, he was with a US-based consulting firm to develop consultancy expertise and career, covering the Greater China region, Europe and South Korea for a variety of projects.

Ashley Y. CHOI
Senior Manager of Strategic Planning, THE BOOK COMPANY, Korea

Ashley CHOI is a senior manager of strategic planning at THE BOOK COMPANY (TBC), Seoul, Korea, where she is currently in charge of international affairs and licensing business of the magazine titles.

She has about 19 years of working experience in the media, PR and publication industry. Starting her career as a news reporter of Joongang Daily News in 1993, Ashley CHOI launched CosmoGIRL! Korea as an Editor-in-Chief in 2003 and worked as a fashion and feature editor of such (young) women’s magazine titles as Cosmopolitan Korea, CéCi and Women’s Joongang. In addition to editing magazines, she has been actively involved in corporate’s international partnership with global media groups, new magazine launching projects and publishing collaboration prints with Asian countries.

She hold the position of PR Director of Gallery Hyundai, the nation’s one of the leading art giants and of Cultural Attaché at the Netherlands Embassy in Seoul during the period of 2007- 2013.

KF Lee
Chairwoman, Dentsu Aegis Network China

KF Lee has approximately 30 years’ experience in the advertising and media communication field, with broad expertise in helping clients with brand communication as well as media investment strategies and solutions. KF joined Carat Taiwan in 2000 and later on took the role of CEO of Aegis Media Taiwan. In 2006, KF was promoted to CEO Aegis Media Greater China, in charge Mainland China and Taiwan. Under her leadership, 5 Aegis global brands, including Carat, Vizeum, isobar, Posterscope and iProspect have strong presence in both markets. Carat ranked number 1 in Taiwan and number 3 in China. Isobar is the most awarded digital creative and marketing agency in this region. Through aggressive M&A programs, Aegis Media has built its digital scale to the number one position in Mainland China and Taiwan. Since January 2014, KF has taken the role of Chairwoman Dentsu Aegis Network China working across the two businesses. Her ambition is to continue to build innovative service capabilities for clients in the media convergence world.

KF was awarded the “2010 Star Performer Award” by Aegis Media for her outstanding business performance. KF also received “The Best Manager of the Year – Media Agency” for 3 consecutive years in 2005, 2006 and 2007. In 2007, KF was awarded “The Best Manager of Media Agency” by Taiwan Ministry of Economic Affairs.

Chua Chim Kang
Managing Editor, Chinese Newspapers, Singapore Press Holdings Limited, Singapore

Chua Chim Kang, 49, is the Managing Editor, Chinese Newspapers Division. He is also the Editor of omy.sg, a bilingual news and interactive web portal of SPH. An outspoken and insightful journalist, Chim Kang has been invited to join several committees and panels. He has published two books and had won several local and international literary awards.