Meet the FIPP World Congress B2B speakers

Successful B2B companies foster a culture of experimentation and innovation within their organisations, aligning people, technology and tools to drive business forward as consumers and advertisers continue their swift adoption of digital platforms.

Their successes offer food for thought not only to other B2B media, but also to consumer media and content marketers.

At the FIPP World Congress we will have several B2B speakers talking about how their companies are doing and plans they have up their sleeves for the future.

The FIPP World Congress takes place from 13-15 October 2015, and the cross border panel is on 14 October, at 13:45 (see the programme, subject to minor changes, here). See the list of companies that have already registered delegates for the Congress here, and if you haven’t registered yet, you can do so here.

Here is an introduction to our B2B speakers.

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Marcelo Burman, President and CEO, Grupo Cerca

Marcelo has a BA and a Public Accountant graduate degree from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. He has been in the publishing industry since 1994, the first 9 years in Argentina, and the last 13 in Central America. From 2000 to 2002 he was President of the Argentinian Technical and Specialized Press Association. 

In 2004, after working for a Central American magazine publisher, he decided to found the company he presides over and where he is the CEO: Compañía Editora de Revistas de Centroamérica (Grupo Cerca). 

Grupo Cerca’s headquarters are located in Costa Rica and has offices in Panama, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Dominican Republic and Mexico.  

They have five B2B titles for different market segments like general business (“Mercados & Tendencias”), construction (“Construir”), technology (“IT Now”, with syndicated content from IDG), agribusiness  (“Productor Agropecuario”) and architecture & design, this on license from Editoriale Domus from Italy. 

In 2013 the company also launched local editions in six countries of “HOLA” Magazine, on license from the Spanish company, and in 2015, eight local editions of “Il Mio Papa” (licensed by Editoriale Mondadori). 

He is also founder and current president of ACER (Costa Rican Magazine Publishers Association). He is member of the Management Board of the FIPP. 

Marcello has spoken at five FIPP Ibero-American Magazine Media Conferences, three FIPP International B2B Conferences and the previous FIPP World Congress in Rome in 2013. He has also participated in several events and seminars throughout Central America.

Marcelo is also member of EO Entrepreneur’s Organization, the global organization for entrepreneurs, since 2011 and a member of the local chapter board since 2012.

Read our Q&A with Marcelo here.

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Michael Friedenberg, CEO, Worldwide, IDG Communications, USA

Michael Friedenberg is CEO of IDG Communications worldwide, a subsidiary for IDG’s B2B and consumer media brands and events in 86 countries. He was promoted from CEO, IDG Communications to worldwide CEO in 2013.

Prior to Friedenberg’s latest promotion, he was CEO and President of IDG Enterprise, an IDG company that develops strategic media properties and peer advisory services for IT executives.  Appointed in March 2009, Friedenberg oversaw IDG’s award-winning brands, websites, products and services for CIO, CIO Executive Council, CFOworld, CITEworld, Computerworld, CSO, DEMO, InfoWorld, ITworld and Network World.

With more than 20 years in the information technology media industry, Friedenberg is known as a dynamic leader who keenly understands and responds to the continuous changes in the media and technology industries.  

In 2012, Friedenberg was inducted into Min’s Digital Hall of Fame and named as one of business media’s Top Innovators by Media Business.  For eight consecutive years, BtoB magazine named Friedenberg to its “Who’s Who” list in business media.  In recognition of his many years in sales management, Min’s selected Friedenberg for its Sales Hall of Fame in 2010.

At the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), Friedenberg is a member of the Advisory Board.

Friedenberg joined IDG in 2005 as president and CEO of CXO Media, following a series of management positions at UBM (formerly CMP Media), including Vice President and Publisher of InformationWeek and, later, Vice President and Group Publisher of the InformationWeek Media Network and Co-Founder of Optimize.  As VP/Group Publisher, Friedenberg set the vision, strategy, and positioning of multiple brands across print, online, events and research services.

Friedenberg graduated with a B.S. in business administration from the University of Delaware.

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Natasha Christie-Miller, CEO, EMAP, UK

Natasha-Christie Miller is a successful leader of high-profile media brands, with specialist knowledge of B2B and consumer publishing, digital publishing, advertising and creative sales and marketing. 

Natasha was appointed CEO of EMAP in 2010. Previous roles include leading the commercial teams on consumer brands such as Elle, Red and the EMAP parenting portfolio before taking on the role of Publishing Director of Drapers, the fashion industry bible at EMAP B2B in 2005. She was managing director for the EMAP retail portfolio between 2007-2010.  

EMAP is a content, subscription & networking business, connecting influential people & organisations to a high-value network of decision-makers, data and ideas through brands including Retail Week, Health Service Journal, MEED, Architects’ Journal and Drapers.

Read this FIPP.com Q&A from earlier this year on EMAP’s transformation

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Yuko Tanaka, Director of Global Business Development Nikkei Business Publications, Japan

Yuko 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 in this field, developing her career over the years. 

Yuko now looks after international projects at Nikkei Business Publications from licensing negotiations to corporate communications and media development outside of Japan.

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Jim Glionna, president, Newcom Business Media, Canada

Jim Glionna is the president and co-founder of Newcom Business Media Inc. A family business, Newcom produces over 30 magazines and trade shows in the trucking, automotive, insurance, dental, mechanical contracting, logistics/supply chain, and meetings and incentive travel industries. 

Glionna began his career as an ad salesman for Wadham Publications’ Motor Truck magazine; he later became a shareholder in the company and oversaw their trucking, automotive and mechanical contracting magazines. 

He co-founded the New Communications Group Inc. in 1987, which became Newcom. The company started with two magazines and has grown into several different markets and brand extensions. 

In 2003, Newcom purchased Canada’s largest heavy-duty truck show, followed quickly by two Quebec trucking industry heavy truck shows. 

In 2014, Newcom purchased 67 titles from Glacier Media with Annex Printing and Publishing.

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Mike Fredericks, president and CEO, Annex Business Media, Canada

Mike Fredericks is a Chartered Accountant and President and CEO of Annex Business Media, Canada’s largest B2B publisher. 

Annex is privately owned by the Fredericks family and Annex senior management. The company publishes 56 titles in print, has over 75 websites, numerous B2B events and operates a print facility. 

After receiving his degree in Commerce, he worked for Ernst & Young for six years in Canada and New Zealand in areas of international tax, strategic planning and computer systems implementation. 

Following this, he joined a Canadian public company in the area of corporate development and ultimately ended up in operations in publishing and printing of newspapers and magazines.

Mike has also been involved with numerous boards of Canadian publishing organizations as a director and has held many roles with charitable organizations. He is currently the chairman of the Norfolk Community Foundation.

Discussions will be hosted by Stephan Scherzer, CEO of VDZ in Germany and a former IDG veteran, as well as Tom Gierasimczuk, publisher and GM of Vancouver and Western Living and an award-winning Canadian journalist and media executive.

The FIPP World Congress takes place from 13-15 October 2015 in Toronto, Canada. It includes the Worldwide Media Marketplace on 13 October and FIPP Mobile and FIPP Innovation on 14 and 15 October.

Near 80 speakers from around the world will be on stage at the Congress.

Join them in Toronto.

For your regular fix of news, Q&As, features, in-depth reports and more, visit FIPP.com and subscribe to our newsletters for regular updates on the Congress and more from the media world. You can also follow us on Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | Google+ | Instagram | Pinterest | YouTube for updates. 

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