|
Sun Valley Meetings
Membership list
The Sun Valley lodge was built by
Averell Harriman in the 1930's. Since that time it has regularly served as a
meeting place for the rich and powerful. In the early 1980's, New York
investment banker Herbert Allen was looking for a location where he could
organise annual meetings for his main client base, which consisted of Hollywood
and media tycoons. In 1983, Herb chose the Sun Valley lodge for this purpose.
For all the details about Allen's unique investment bank, you can go
here.
Left: Rupert Murdoch and his asian wife together with
Google's Sergey Brin. Mid: During these 5 days,
the local airport is filled with private jets. Right: Warren Buffett with his
daughter Susie.
At the first meeting in
1983, only 35 businessmen were present, but this number grew rapidly as the
location turned out to be an ideal place for a short vacation combined with some
private business discussions. These days, the meetings have expanded and a few
hundred participants attend each year. This includes the wives and children of
the invited members, who can amuse themselves with tennis, hiking, biking,
kayaking, golfing, or a variety of other activities. Since at least half of the
guests are billionaires instead of millionaires, most of them come flying in on
their own business jets. During the event, presentations are given about a
variety of (economic) topics.
The Sun Valley is often
compared with the Bohemian Grove, although there are very obvious differences.
The Sun Valley is more exclusive, it only lasts 5 days, the participants
generally behave a bit better, woman and children are allowed, there are far
fewer politicians, the type of companies represented differ, and in this case,
"weaving spiders" are welcomed with open arms. Basically, the only parallels
between the two are the 'vacation theme' and the fact that the media is kept at
a distance.
At the moment, I have found
just over a 100 participants of the Sun Valley meetings. Below you can see a
list of companies these people control. Many additional names can be added if
you start looking at all the directorships, but the companies below are all
represented by a chairman, CEO, president, or someone else who is really in a
position to make certain crucial decisions.
| Hollywood & TV |
Main investment
bank |
Other companies |
| AOL Time Warner |
Allen & Company |
Berkshire Hathaway |
| Bertelsmann |
|
Capital Research & Management |
| Cablevision Systems
Corporation |
IT & websites |
Coca-Cola |
| Clear Channel |
Amazon |
Gillette |
| Comcast |
Apple |
Heinz |
| Columbia Tristar |
AT&T |
Kodak |
| Cox Enterprises |
Ebay |
MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings |
| Discovery Communications, Inc. |
Google |
Marvel |
| Disney |
Intel |
Mattel |
| Dreamworks |
Microsoft |
National Basketball Association |
| Liberty Media |
Nokia |
Nike |
| Las Vegas hotels and casinos |
Priceline |
Veronis Suhler Stevenson
|
| Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Sony |
|
| Mexican Broadcaster Grupo Televisa,
S.A |
Sprint |
Politics (not very much) |
| News Corporation |
Yahoo |
Alfalfa Club |
| Paramount |
|
Bilderberg |
| Pixar |
Newspapers |
CFR |
| Playboy Enterprises |
Washington Post Co. |
CIA |
| Revelations Entertainment |
New York Times Co. |
DAVOS / WEF |
| Seagram |
Foreign Affairs |
European Round Table |
| Universal Studios |
|
Federal Communications Commission |
| Univision Communications Inc.
(Hispanic) |
|
Department of Health and Human
Services |
| Viacom |
|
IMF |
| Vivendi Universal Entertainment |
|
Privy Council |
| |
|
Trilateral Commission |
| |
|
U.S. Ambassador to the USSR &
Russia |
| |
|
U.S.-Russia Business Council
|
Many of the companies above
own one or more others in the list and some of them might have merged by now. In
any case, all of the large Hollywood studios are represented and TV channels
like ABC, CBS, CNN, FOX, NBC, MTV, Black Entertainment Television, the Discovery
Channel, the History Channel, National Geographic are all owned by the companies
above. The same goes for a huge amount of newspapers, magazines, and radio
stations. On the other hand, you also have Clear Channel's Coast to Coast AM,
which under George Noory is one of the best examples of open minded alternative
radio broadcasting. Obviously, Coast to Coast is a great advertisement seller,
because according to Lowry Mays' (founder and CEO Clear Channel) own words,
that's the only thing he's interested in. Still, it's a mystery to me why there
doesn't seem to be room for another large scale show like Coast to Coast AM.
Europe is also represented.
Rupert Murdoch owns British Sky Broadcasting and a couple of newspapers in the
UK. The German media company Bertelsmann, represented by CEO Thomas Middelhoff,
owns 90% of RTL Group, which is the #1 TV and Radio Broadcaster in Europe. The
second largest european TV company, SBS Broadcasting, is owned for 21% by
Liberty Media through UGC Europe. The founder and chairman of SBS is an
American, although I'm not sure if he attends the Sun Valley. Vivendi Universal
Entertainment is owned by the French Vivendi Universal, which bought Seagram
from Edgar Bronfman in June 2000. Unfortunately, the Sun Valley meetings are
never mentioned in Europe, so names from this side of the ocean are in rather
short supply.
Though there are enough
people of questionable reputation attending the meetings, the Sun Valley
generally doesn't seem to be visited by many overly controversial people
(although that's probably because many are very well protected from the law). It
is true that the individual companies have been accused of doing all kinds of
nasty business, like exploiting their employees at home or abroad, knowingly
accepting drug money, secretly working with intelligence agencies, or in case of
an individual called Michael Bloomberg, helping in covering up 9/11. The other
way around is also possible, whereby the CIA is accused of spying on Hollywood
gatherings or pushing certain scripts to be made into movies. But all this stuff
would still be going on if the Sun Valley meetings weren't there. The Sun Valley
retreats aren't that secret anyway, especially not since the arrival of the
internet. Membership lists aren't given to the public, guests are asked not to
speak to the press, and generally no reporters are allowed on the compound, but
that's about it. Anyone interested knows when and where the meetings are held.
It is possible to camp right outside the entrance, to photograph every single
member, and to compile your own membership lists. That nobody has chosen to do
so is something else. The Associated Press and others do make these pictures,
but generally they write the same superficial articles year after year.
Left: Nike's
chairman and CEO Philip Knight. Mid: Bill Gates and Henry Vigil of Microsoft.
Right:
Former CIA director George Tenet leaves the conference after having given a
lecture on terrorism.
The only 'sinister' aspect
of the Sun Valley might be that it is being used to gather a lot of intelligence
on the media and entertainment branch. It is likely that a small portion of the
attendees are used as intelligence assets for different agencies and
institutions. The problem is that there's isn't that much evidence for this
theory. It would also be nothing specific to the Sun Valley. Of course, it was
quite amusing to see that the only British visitor I came across turned out to
be someone with very close connections to the British throne and the Rothschild
interests. This certainly isn't unique to the Sun Valley. You can find similar
coincidences with all the important globalist institutions. Examples are camp
Mandalay in the Bohemian Grove, the European Institute, the Pilgrims Society,
the 1001 Club, the Club 21, Le Cercle, Ditchley, and the Anglo-Arab
Organization. There are many more, but these are some of the more important.
J. Gordon Brown, the
participant I'm talking about is an exceptionally influential Chancellor of the
Exchequer (the UK's 'Budget Man'), very close to Tony Blair, chairman of the
IMF's International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMF's key decision-making
committee), member of the Bilderberg Group, and a member of the Queen's Privy
Council. When Brown came to power as Chancellor of the Exchequer he immediately
surprised everyone by giving the Bank of England operational independence from
the British government in the conduct of monetary policy, which is very similar
to the Federal Reserve of the United States. He also attends meetings of the
London-based Institute for Jewish Policy Research (JPR), which is the former
Institute of Jewish Affairs. Jacob de Rothschild is the honorary president of
it. At times, the institute gets a visit from the Israeli ambassador. Lord
Rothschild also organized at least one party at J. Gordon Brown's house. Other
friends of Rothschild are Sun Valley participants Warren Buffett and Rupert
Murdoch. The latter is well known for his Zionist and neoconservatist bias.
Chancellor of
the Exchequer & Privy Councilor at a Zionist meeting.
Another interesting visitor
is George Tenet. Tenet visited the Sun Valley in 2003, while still being the
director of the CIA. In 2005, the AP photographed Tenet again as he left the
conference. Turns out that in reaction to the July bombings in London he gave a
speech on terrorism with two fellow CFR members. Tenet has been named as a
member of the Knights of Malta and works at the Jesuit Georgetown University.
To summarize, anyone
can be invited to the Sun Valley meetings. You only need to have some decision
making power over a large media affiliated company and generally be known as 'a
player'. Judging from the membership list, it doesn't matter if someone is
black, white, or yellow. You can check the list
here.
Below you can find a whole lot of additional information.
References
| [1] |
August 14, 1995, Time Magazine,
'Easy as ABC' |
| [2] |
July 1, 1996, Forbes
Magazine, 'Herbert Allen and his merry dealsters' |
| [3] |
July 26, 1996, New York Times, 'For
Rupert Murdoch, International Influence Outweighs Wealth' |
| [4] |
October 1997, Red Herring Magazine,
'Players Club - CEOs talk media at Herb Allen's Sun Valley' |
| [5] |
November 17, 1997, Time Magazine,
'A new world at Sony' |
| [6] |
June 29, 1998, New York Magazine,
'Sun Valley Daze' |
| [7] |
July 18, 1998, BBC, 'Brown tells
Murdoch: No deal over euro' |
| [8] |
July 20, 1998, Time Magazine,
'Power Camps' |
| [9] |
July 10, 1999, Associated Press,
'Media titans gather in Sun Valley' |
| [10] |
July 26, 1999, The New Yorker,
'What I did at summer camp' |
| [11] |
July 7, 2001, Taipei Times,
'Moguls, dealmakers rub shoulders at Sun Valley' |
| [12] |
July 16, 2001, Taipei Times, 'Buffett
warns against buying Internet stocks' |
| [13] |
March 10, 2003, Time Magazine,
'Comeback Crusader' |
| [14] |
July 15, 2003, Sydney Morning
Herald, 'Media moguls relish summer powwow' |
| [15] |
July 16, 2003, AllYourTV,
'Commentary: It Ain't Nothing But A Mogul Thing' |
| [16] |
April 12, 2004, American Free
Press, 'Media Leviathan, U.S. Intelligence Form Secret Cabal' |
| [17] |
July 3, 2005, Associated Press,
'Media Moguls to Gather for Schmooze Event' |
| [18] |
July 5, 2005, CNN, 'Sun Valley
draws media moguls' |
| [19] |
July 7, 2005, Associated Press,
'Media Honchos Face Weaker Ad Climate ' |
| [20] |
July 8, 2005, Idaho Mountain
Express, 'Sun Valley hosts media magnates' |
Author:
Joël van der Reijden
Written: May 27, 2005
Last edit: July 24, 2005
|
Sun Valley Meetings
Incomplete
membership list
continually updated
| Allen, Herbert A. |
The person who set up the Sun
Valley meetings in 1983. He is the President and CEO of the New York
investment bank Allen & Company, Inc., which specializes in big media
deals. Personal fortune is estimated at just below 2 billion dollars. |
| Allen, Herbert, III |
Son of Herb A. Allen. Fresh from Yale in 1989,
he worked for mutual fund house T. Rowe Price and London investment firm
Botts & Co., before joining the family firm. If he acquits himself well,
there's little doubt he can succeed his father. His father owns slightly
less than 45% of Allen & Co., and his family owns 35% more. The 14
managing directors and a few other employees own the rest. |
| Allen, Paul |
A recent article about Paul Allen begins,
“Microsoft spawned two billionaires. Paul Allen is the other one.” Paul
Allen is best known as the second founder of Microsoft Corporation,
along with his more renowned partner William (Bill) Gates. Allen is also
notable for being the second-richest (occasionally third-richest) human
on the planet, after his partner Bill Gates. Co-founder Vulcan Ventures. |
| Armstrong, C. Michael |
Miami University of Ohio 1961, IBM 1962-1991,
chairman Hughes Corporation 1992-1997, chairman and CEO AT&T 1997-2002,
chairman Comcast Corporation, director Citigroup since 1989, director
HCA Inc., director Hospital Corporation of America, director IHS Inc.
director Parsons Corporation, member U.S. Advisory Board of Schroder
Ventures, member Council on Foreign Relations, member Trilateral
Commission, member Alfalfa Club, trustee of The Johns Hopkins
University, chairman of Johns Hopkins Medicine since 2005. |
| Azcarraga, Emilio |
Educated at Culver Military Academy, graduated
1948. Married four times, most recently to Paula Cusi; children include:
Emilio Azcarraga Jean. Worked in various positions in television; owner
of Univision, a twelve-station Spanish language network in the U.S.,
1960s and 1970s; controlling shareholder, chairman and CEO of Mexican
Broadcaster Grupo Televisa, S.A.; owner of The National sports daily,
1990-91; owner of major Mexican television stations; chairman of
Galavision; also involved in publishing, video, and real estate
ventures. Died 1999. |
| Ballmer, Steve |
Steve Ballmer is the Chief Executive Officer
(CEO) of Microsoft Corporation, the world’s leading software company and
one of the largest and most visible corporations in the world. A former
dormitory-mate of Bill Gates at Harvard, Ballmer joined a young
Microsoft Corporation in 1980. He was promoted to president in 1998 and
replaced Gates as the company’s CEO in 2000. Frequently described using
adjectives such as blunt, aggressive, and bombastic (as witness his
performance in the famous “Monkeyboy” video), Ballmer has served as
Microsoft’s “head coach” since long before assuming the top executive
post. During increasingly difficult times, Ballmer seeks to sustain
Microsoft’s double-digit growth in a maturing and increasingly
competitive software market. |
| Barad, Jill |
A graduate of Queens College in New York, she
joined Mattel in 1981, became marketing director for the Barbie doll
brand in 1982, was named executive vice president in 1986, president of
Mattel USA in 1990, a director in 1991, and president and chief
operating officer of Mattel Inc. in 1992. She made her mark largely by
re-establishing Barbie dolls as America's most enduring toy franchise. A
survey in the January Working Woman magazine Barad was the named
nation's third-highest compensated woman executive in America. The
survey said her total compensation in 1994 was $4.67 million. She was
also a director Pixar. |
| Barton, Peter |
In 1982, Barton moved to Denver to join
Tele-Communications Inc., the cable TV giant owned by media mogul John
Malone. Barton initially negotiated cable franchises for the company
that would eventually become the largest U.S. cable operator. In 1986,
he became president of TCI's Cable Value Network, which later evolved
into the QVC cable TV shopping network. Five years later, Barton became
head of Liberty Media, TCI's holding company for cable TV programming
assets. Liberty Media was subsequently spun off as a public company,
then re-acquired by TCI and spun off again in the AT&T Corp. acquisition
of TCI. Barton left Liberty Media in 1997 to head a private investment
company. Later, he developed the Privacy Foundation at the University of
Denver. The independent watchdog group researches the impact of
technology on privacy issues. He died in 2002 of cancer and is to be
inducted into the cable industry's Hall of Fame in November. John Malone
was a good friend. |
| Berg, Jeffrey |
Chairman International Creative Management,
director Oracle Corporation since 1997, director of Leapfrog
Enterprises, Inc., co-chair California's Council on Information
Technology, president Executive Board of the College of Letters and
Sciences at the University of California at Berkeley, trustee Anderson
School of Management at the University of California at Los Angeles.
|
| Bezos, Jeffrey P. |
Princeton University computer sciences &
electrical engineering, vice-president Bankers Trust, founder Amazon.com,
billionaire. Thinks Warren Buffett is a genius we should all listen to. |
| Biondi, Frank J. |
Princeton University bachelor of arts. Harvard
MBA. Managing director WaterView Advisors LLC (investment advisors).
President and CEO Viacom 1987-1996. Chairman and CEO Universal Studios
1996-1998. CEO Paramount Pictures. CEO Home Box Office. Director Harrahs
Entertainment, Hasbro, Amgen, Motion Picture Association of America,
Cablevision Systems Corporation, and the Bank of New York. He comes to
the Sun Valley every year. At his home in Martha's Vineyard he has
hosted a bunch of fundraisings for the Clintons. In 2005 Sir Evelyn de
Rothschild and Lynn Forester de Rothschild were among his guests.
|
| Bloomberg, Michael |
Johns Hopkins University, Harvard MBA, became
partner Salomon Brothers of New York in 1972. Michael Bloomberg is the
founder and controlling owner of Bloomberg, L.P., a diversified media
enterprise and one of the most successful information industry startups
of its kind. The company’s operations are centered on the provision of
financial and business information – including a massive stream of raw
data plus various analytical tools – to mostly large institutional
clients such as banks, brokerage houses, government agencies, and
traditional media companies. As a result of Bloomberg L.P.’s success,
Michael Bloomberg is one of the richest people in the world, with a
fortune valued at close to $5 billion. In January 2002, Bloomberg
assumed office as the 108th Mayor of the City of New York. Also chairman
of the Board Trustees of Johns Hopkins University. In 1997, Michael
Bloomberg published his autobiography, Bloomberg by Bloomberg.
All of the royalties from sales of the book are donated to the Committee
to Protect Journalists. Bloomberg has an estimated fortune of $5 billion
dollars. Trustee of the American Institute for Contemporary German
Studies. |
| Bradley, Bill |
One of the first
pro-athlete-turned-politicians, Bradley was also one of the few with
bona fide intellectual credentials. A three-time All-American at
Princeton, Bradley delayed his professional basketball career to spend
two years at Oxford University on a Rhodes scholarship . Upon his return
he joined the New York Knicks and played on their 1970 and 1973
championship teams. In 1978 he was elected to the U.S. Senate and served
three terms. In January 1999 he announced his intention to run for
president, aiming for the nomination from the Democratic Party. He was
defeated in the 2000 primary elections by then Vice President Al Gore.
Bill is a friend of Herb. In 2005 he introduced Turkish Prime Minister
Recep Erdogan to the members of the Sun Valley. |
| Brin, Sergey |
Born in Russia, Brin studied computer science
and mathematics before co-founding Google with Larry Page. Brin is the
President of Technology at Google and has a net worth estimated at seven
billion U.S. dollars. |
| Brokaw, Tom |
Born in Webster, South Dakota, U.S., 6
February 1940. Educated at University of South Dakota, B.A. in political
science 1962. Began career as newscaster, weatherman, and staff
announcer at KTIV in Sioux City, Iowa, 1960-62; morning news editor for
KMTV in Omaha, Nebraska, 1962-65; editor for 11:00 news for WSB-TV in
Atlanta, Georgia, 1965-66; joined NBC news as anchorman, KNBC-TV, Los
Angeles, California, 1966; with NBC since 1966. Honorary degrees:
University of South Dakota; Washington University; Syracuse University;
Hofstra University; Boston College; Emerson College; Simpson College;
Duke University, 1991; Notre Dame University, 1993. Recipient: Alfred I.
DuPont Award, 1987; George Foster Peabody Award, 1988. Member of the
CFR. Invited in 2005 as a member of the panel on terrorism. Former CIA
chief George Tenet and New York Times / Foreign Affairs columnist Thomas
Friedman (CFR) were the other members of the panel. The panel was
established, because at the start of the conference there were
terrorrist attacks in London. |
| Bronfman, Edgar, Jr. |
Billionaire Edgar Bronfman Jr. inherited the
helm of the Seagram Company Ltd. in 1994. His grandfather Sam Bronfman
built the beverage powerhouse, but the grandson has expanded it into
telecommunications by buying a piece of Time Warner and pursuing a
personal movie bug: The former teenage amateur filmmaker grew up to buy
80 percent of MCA/Universal Studios in 1995. Edgar Bronfman, Jr. is the
third-generation heir of one of North America’s great business
dynasties. In less than a decade, he transformed the Seagram wine and
liquor business into one of the world’s largest media and entertainment
conglomerates. Unable to keep pace with the late 1990s consolidation of
media giants such as Disney and Time Warner, Bronfman in 2000 sold the
family business to Vivendi S.A. in what turned out to be one of the most
disastrous media deals in recent memory. Bronfman re-entered the
media/music business in December 2003 with the acquisition of Time
Warner’s Music Group. President of the World Jewish Congress. His uncle,
Charles R. Bronfman, became a member of the Canadian Privy Council in
1992. |
| Brown, J. Gordon |
Gordon Brown was appointed as Chancellor of
the Exchequer on 2 May 1997 (the UK cabinet minister responsible for all
financial matters. Works closely with the Bank of England). He has been
MP for Dunfermline East since 1983 and was Opposition spokesperson on
Treasury and Economic Affairs (Shadow Chancellor) from 1992. From 1976
to 1980, Mr Brown lectured at Edinburgh University and then Caledonian
University before taking up a post at Scottish TV (1980 - 1983). After
becoming an MP, Mr Brown was the Chair of the Labour Party Scottish
Council (1983 - 1984). Before becoming Shadow Chancellor he held two
other senior posts on the Opposition front bench - Shadow Chief
Secretary to the Treasury (1987 - 1989) and Shadow Trade and Industry
Secretary (1989 -1992). Brown is the number 2 in the Labour party,
behind Blair, and has been to Bilderberg in 1991. Also a member of the
Queen's Privy Council, member of DAVOS, and chairman of the IMF's
International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMF's key
decision-making committee). He went at least once to the Sun Valley in
1998. On taking office as Chancellor,
Brown sprung a surprise by giving the Bank of England operational
independence (from the British government) in the conduct of monetary
policy, and thus responsibiltiy for setting interest rates. Lord
Rothschild organised a fund-raising in June of 2001 at 11 Downing
Street, official home of the Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown,
to which 130 guests attended.
Martin Ivens, deputy editor of the Sunday
Times: "Mr Brown dominates this government like no other post-war
chancellor. The chancellor tells other ministers how to spend their
budgets and even dictates, or 'challenges' as the Treasury mandarins
delicately put it, their policies. The puritanical pundits cheer Mr
Brown as a serious man doing a serious job, while next door at No 10 the
incumbent holds parties for pop stars and millionaires."
|
| Buffett, Warren |
Studied at Wharton School of Finance
1947-1949, University of Nebraska 1950, Columbia University M.S., 1951.
After working as an investment salesman and securities analyst, he was
partner (1956-1969) in the investment firm Buffett Partnership, Ltd. In
1965, he acquired the textile manufacturer Berkshire Hathaway and became
(1970) chairman and CEO. Through judicious investments and acquisitions
of insurance companies and manufacturing and service firms, Buffett has
transformed Berkshire Hathaway into a large conglomerate; in 1999, its
assets were $124 billion. His investments have also made him one of the
wealthiest people in the world. He has co-authored Warren Buffett
Speaks (with J. C. Lowe, 1997) and Thoughts of Chairman Buffett
(with S. Reynolds, 1998). His father, Howard Homan Buffett,.
1903-1964, an investment banker, was a U.S. congressman from Nebraska
(1943-1949, 1951-1953). Warren Buffett is, just as Rupert Murdoch,
acquainted with the Rothschild family and has been invited to Waddesdon
Manor mansion in England. Member of the Alfalfa Club and the Bohemian
Grove.. |
| Case, Stephen M. |
Steve Case was the founder, Chief Executive
Officer (CEO), and chairman of America Online Corporation (AOL), and
then chairman of the world’s largest media company, AOL Time Warner.
Case was forced out of a faltering AOL Time Warner in January 2003. As a
result of the meteoric success of AOL followed by the rapid decline of
AOL Time Warner, Case’s reputation and personal market value have
vacillated more drastically than the NASDAQ. Member of the Alfalfa Club. |
| Chernin, Peter |
Peter Chernin is a former book editor who
worked his way up Hollywood's power chain as a TV producer for Showtime
and eventually head of the Fox (FOX ) Broadcasting Co. And he can
finesse things at News Corp. for his high-powered boss, Rupert Murdoch,
like nobody's business. Chernin, 52, oversees film and TV production of
such blockbuster hits as X-2: X-Men United and runs Fox's fast-growing
FX and other entertainment channels. Those properties helped propel the
company to double-digit increases in revenues and earnings in '03. He
has a far more pleasant character than Rupert Murdoch according to many. |
| Cox, Anne |
One of the Cox sisters. Cox Enterprises is the
successor to the publishing company founded at Dayton, Ohio, by James
Middleton Cox, who began with the Dayton Daily News. The company is
private, 98% controlled by the octogenarian daughters of Cox, Barbara
Cox Anthony and Anne Cox Chambers, two of the richest women in America,
worth $10.3 billion each according to Forbes Magazine. The CEO is
Anthony's son, James C. Kennedy. The company, now headquarted in
Atlanta, Georgia, continues to publish the Daily News as well as the
Atlanta Journal-Constitution and fifteen other daily newspapers. It also
publishes 30 non-daily papers, including The Western Star, Ohio's oldest
weekly newspaper. The company owns 15 television stations including
WHIO-TV, the Dayton affiliate of CBS, 81 radio stations, and a large
cable television enterprise. |
| Cox, Barbara |
One of the Cox sisters. Control the private
Cox Enterprises (Cox Communications, Manheim, Cox Newspapers, Cox
Television, Cox Radio and AutoTrader.com). See the bio of Anne Cox. |
| Crawford, Gordon |
Chief media stock picker for the L.A.-based
investment firm Capital Research & Management. Gordon Crawford's actions
are closely watched on Wall Street. Considered as one of "the media
world's savviest investors," Crawford is known for long-term investments
and it is eerie how prophetic his predictions have been to this point.
In early 2001, Crawford liquidated Capital's Disney shares completely,
prompting other investors to lessen their holdings, destabilizing
Disney's already rocky position and spelling Eisner's doom. In late
2002, Crawford met with Time Warner Chairman Stephen Case and gave him a
simple and clear recommendation: Resign. Now it appears Crawford has set
his sights on Viacom's Sumner Redstone. |
| Daft, Douglas |
As chairman of the board and CEO of Coca-Cola,
Daft drives the train that delivers 50% of the world’s non-alcoholic
beverages, including the #1 Coke, #3 Diet Coke, Minute Maid, PowerAde,
Sprite, Barq’s Dr. Pepper, Danone, Sparkletts, Evian, and even the
healthfood favorite Odwalla. Daft, who took his current position in
February 2000, last year earned a salary of $1.5 million, plus a $4.5
million bonus. He also owns 3.5 million Coke shares (valued today at
$175 million). He also sits on the boards of SunTrust Banks, McGraw-Hill
Companies, The Center for Strategic & International Studies (A Stanford
University Think Tank), the Trilateral Commission, The Business Council,
The Business Roundtable, Catalyst, Grocery Manufacturers of America, and
the British-American Chamber of Commerce.
Coca Cola has been accused of contracting
paramilitary death squads to torture, kidnap, and murder union leaders
in Central and South-America. The Campaign to Stop Killer Coke and
Corporate Campaign Inc. has erected to draw attention to these
allegations. |
| Dean, Bob |
Managing director and vice-president of the
risk-arbitrage department at Allen & Co. |
| Dell, Michael |
Michael Dell is the founder, chairman, and
Chief Executive Officer of Austin, Texas-based Dell Computer
Corporation. Known for its revolutionary made-to-order, zero-inventory
business model, Dell Computer is the world’s leading computer systems
company. |
| Diller, Barry |
Barry Diller is an American media executive
and entrepreneur; known among other things for his early programming
innovations with ABC Television; the creation of a fourth television
network at Fox Broadcasting; the onetime chairmanship of Paramount
Pictures and the QVC Network; the founding of USA Networks; and the
assumption of a lucrative position as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of
Vivendi Universal Entertainment (VUE). With VUE’s parent, Vivendi
Universal, in a financial and legal crisis, Diller became a major player
in the game to take over the company’s entertainment assets. Ultimately,
Diller lost out to bigger media such as NBC for the Vivendi assets and
went back to nurturing and strategizing his acquisitions such as Expedia
and LendingTree.com. Called Edgar Bronfman a “third-generation bimbo”.
Also said: "Deals just don't get done in Hollywood unless they
[Allen & Co.] are involved." |
| Eisner, Michael |
Michael Eisner took over the top post at the
Walt Disney Company in 1984. An imposing leader at 6 feet, 4 inches
tall, he transformed Disney from a fading minor player worth about $2
billion into a $28 billion a year multimedia conglomerate within a
decade. During the 1990s, Eisner established Disney as the third largest
corporation of its kind without sacrificing the company’s place as the
premier family entertainment studio of the twentieth century. Eisner
fought a running battle with disgruntled shareholders during the early
2000 decade as the Disney share price slumped, the firm was beset with
continung problems with EuroDisney, and Eisner was openly criticized for
both his judgement and management style by prominent shareholders such
as Roy Disney. In early September 2004, Eisner surprised the
entertainment community by announcing his intention to resign in 2006.
|
| Erdogan, Recep Tayyip |
Turkish Prime Minister who gave a speech about
Islam in 2005. He answered questions about Islam, democracy, and
globalization. Rhodes Scholar Bill Bradley introduced him. |
| Ergen, Charles |
Head of country's second-biggest satellite
provider, EchoStar, now in midst of buying the biggest one, DirecTV,
from General Motors in $26 billion deal. Former Frito-Lay financial
analyst started delivering to large-dish rural residents in 1980. Now,
through Dish Network, provides more than 500 channels to over 5 million
customers. He has a personal fortune of almost 7 billion dollars. |
| Esrey, William T. |
William Esrey began his career in
telecommunications in 1964 with AT&T. Even though his goal at that time
was to become president of that company, he left the corporation in 1970
after becoming the youngest officer in its history. He then joined the
investment banking firm of Dillon, Read and Company in New York City,
where he became the managing director. In 1980, William came to United
Telecommunications as the executive vice president of corporate
planning. In 1982, he became president of United Telecom Communications
Inc., later named US Telecom. In 1985, William Esrey was made president
and CEO of United Telecommunications. Additional responsibilities as
president and CEO of Sprint were taken on by William in 1988. In 1990,
he has become chairman of Sprint and United Telecom (Sprint is the third
largest long-distance telecommunications firm). Also a director of The
Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States, Panhandle Eastern
Corp., and General Mills. Member Trilateral Commission. |
| Fisher, George |
CEO of Motorola Inc., chairman of Kodak. |
| Friedman, Thomas L. |
New York Times and Foreign Affairs columnist
who was invited in 2005 as a member of the panel on terrorism. Former
CIA chief George Tenet and NBC anchor Tom Brokaw (CFR) were the other
members of the panel. The panel was established, because at the start of
the conference there were terrorrist attacks in London. Friedman is a
neoliberal globalist who ridicules people who are against this concept.
|
| Freeman, Morgan |
In 2005, he announced his new company called
Clickstar Inc. In 1996, actor Morgan Freeman created Revelations
Entertainment. |
| Furstenberg, Diane von |
Great-grandchild of Lady Mary Victoria
Hamilton, the Scotch–German wife of Prince Albert I of Monaco, though by
Lady Mary's second marriage. The Belgian-born von Furstenberg had made
her mark on the New York fashion world in 1972 with her versatile dress,
which was appropriate for the office yet sexy enough for a night at
Studio 54. During the next few years, she sold five million of them.
Then the market became saturated, sales dried up, and she sold most of
her licenses to avoid bankruptcy. "I lost control," she says. She
retreated to Europe. In 1992, the designer embarked on a comeback. She
started Silk Assets, one of the first clothing lines for QVC. "It was
tacky, but it gave me confidence," she says. Then she founded Diane von
Furstenberg Studio to design moderately priced apparel sold at upscale
department stores. The latest wrap dress, for example, retails for $298.
The line has been a hit with consumers and critics alike, and the
business turned its first profit in 2003. For von Furstenberg, 58, whose
fall 2005 collection features a Russian theme, success has been sweeter
this time. |
| Gabelli, Mario J. |
Mario J. Gabelli is the Chairman, Chief
Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer-Value Portfolios of
Gabelli Asset Management Inc., a widely recognized provider of
investment advice and brokerage services to mutual funds, institutional
and high net worth investors. Gabelli Asset Management Inc. is listed on
the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol GBL. Mr. Gabelli founded
the firm in 1977 as a broker-dealer. It has since grown into the
diversified financial services corporation it is today. Mr. Gabelli is a
summa cum laude graduate of Fordham University and holds an MBA degree
from Columbia University Graduate School of Business, and an Honorary
Doctorate Degree from Roger Williams University in Rhode Island. He is a
leading proponent of the Graham & Dodd school of security analysis. He
is a pioneer in applying Graham & Dodd's principles to the analysis of
domestic, cash generating, franchise companies in a wide range of
industries. His proprietary Private Market Value methodology is now an
analytical standard in the value investing community. Mr. Gabelli is a
Chartered Financial Analyst, a member and former officer of the New York
Society of Security Analysts, the New York Society of Auto Analysts and
the Entertainment Analysts Group of New York. He is a trustee of Fordham
Preparatory School, Fairfield University, Roger Williams University,
Winston Churchill Foundation of the United States, and a institutes.
Gabelli is a major shareholder of Cablevision. |
| Gates, William "Bill" |
William (Bill) Henry Gates III is the
co-founder, chairman, and chief software architect of Microsoft
Corporation, the world’s No. 1 software company. Since becoming the
world’s richest person, Gates has been at once one of the most admired
individuals in the U.S. and one of the most resented, envied, and
vilified. A fiercely competitive monopolist and corporate strategist who
has successfully thwarted competitors and trust-busters, Gates is also a
charismatic leader generally liked and respected by employees and
colleagues. During the 2000 decade, Gates has also become the most
generous, and perhaps the most effective, philanthropist in history. He
is a Knight of the British Empire. In the 2001 meeting he shocked some
participants when he said: "I'm going to destroy three companies:
Sun Microsystems, Oracle, and Netscape." Many thought it was a bit
immature to use the word 'destroy', since competition is
something natural. In general, he seems to have some trouble containing
his emotions. |
| Geffen, David |
From the mail room of the William Morris
Agency, David Geffen clawed, connived, schmoozed, and just plain worked
his way to the top of Hollywood’s entertainment industry. After
promoting the careers of 1970s musical stars such as Jackson Browne, the
Eagles, Joni Mitchell, and Linda Ronstadt; Geffen moved on to found or
cofound Asylum Records, Geffen Records, the Geffen Film Company and
DreamWorks SKG. On his way to becoming Hollywood’s first self-made
billionaire, Geffen funded two hit Broadway plays, produced five movies,
announced an engagement to musician-actress Cher (she called it off),
came out publicly as a gay man, and supported the presidential candidacy
of William Jefferson Clinton. |
| Goizueta, Roberto C. |
Yale chemical engineering, Cuban refugee who
became chairman and CEO of Coca-Cola Company, strengthening company's
global dominance in field. Died in 1997 of lung cancer after having
received chemotherapy and radiation treatments. |
| Gould, Paul A. |
Managing director Allen & Company, executive
trustee New School, chairman Cornell University's Office of Investment
Management, chairman Information Technology Advisory Board of the New
School. Nancy B. Peretsman and Philip Scaturro of Allen & Company are
also involved in the school. Gould is a director of Liberty Media
Corporation, Ampco-Pittsburgh Corporation, and UnitedGlobalCom. |
| Graham, Donald |
Chief executive officer and chairman of the
board of The Washington Post Company. He is also chairman of The
Washington Post newspaper. Graham retired in September 2000. He is the
son of previous Post publishers Katharine Graham and Phillip Graham. |
| Grove, Andrew S. |
Andrew S. (Andy) Grove is the Chairman of the
Board of Intel Corporation, as well as a former Chief Executive Officer
(CEO) who participated in the founding of the company. Under Grove's
tenure as Intel's CEO, the company grew from the world's tenth-largest
manufacturer of semiconductors to the industry's dominant firm, and one
of the most important companies on the planet. |
| Hefner, Christie |
Christie Hefner is the chairman and Chief
Executive Officer of Playboy Enterprises and the daughter of the
company’s founder, Hugh M. Hefner. Playboy Enterprises is a diversified
publishing, entertainment, and media firm anchored by the iconic Playboy
magazine, a half-century old periodical featuring articles, interviews,
fiction, and nude photographs of well-endowed young women. A
self-professed feminist, Christie Hefner has consciously diverged from
the libertine excesses associated with her father’s lifestyle. Described
as “slim, attractive, lively, serious, efficient, and firm,” she runs
Playboy’s corporate show, while her father attends to the editing of
Playboy magazine. |
| Hendricks, John S. |
John S. Hendricks is the founder and chairman
of Discovery Communications, Inc. the leading global real-world media
and entertainment company. Hendricks created the Discovery Channel in
1982 as the first cable network in the United States designed to provide
high quality documentary programming enabling people to explore their
world and satisfy their natural curiosity. Mr. Hendricks has been the
driving force behind DCI’s dramatic growth including the expansion of
DCI from its core property, the Discovery Channel, to current global
operations in 160 countries with over one billion total subscribers.
Under Mr. Hendricks’ leadership, DCI’s stable of networks now encompass
over 60 networks of distinctive programming representing 21
entertainment brands including TLC, Animal Planet, Travel Channel,
Discovery Health Channel, Discovery Kids, and Discovery Times Channel.
DCI’s other properties consist of Discovery.com and 120 Discovery
Channel retail stores. Mr. Hendricks serves on the Board of Directors of
a number of non-profit organizations including the American Film
Institute, The Colorado Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, and the
National Cable and Telecommunications Association. Mr. Hendricks also
serves on the Advisory Board of Lowell Observatory. |
| Horn, Alan B. |
Executive vice president American Home
Mortgage Investment Corp., chairman Greenberg Traurig LLP of New York. |
| Huizenga, Wayne |
Successful Florida Entrepreneur with Waste
Management Inc. In 1983, Huizenga retired from WMI with stock and
options valued at $23 million. Shortly thereafter, he began purchasing a
series of service companies in South Florida, including laundry, bottled
water, lawn care, pest control and portable toilet businesses, under the
umbrella of Huizenga Holdings. He continued to grow these businesses,
but always looked for the next big thing. A friend brought Huizenga to a
local Blockbuster video franchise, with the hopes that he would get
involved. Once Huizenga saw the business plan, he knew it was a good
prospect. He bought control of the entire company, subsequently becoming
chairman and CEO, and began to reacquire franchises in key markets in an
effort to take the company nationwide as quickly as possible.
Blockbuster went public in 1989 and, over a six-year span, opened a new
store every 17 hours. By 1994, Huizenga had acquired 100 video and music
chains, as well as production and distribution companies. Entertainment
Weekly named Huizenga one of the 10 most powerful people in the
entertainment industry. When Viacom acquired Blockbuster in 1994,
Huizenga had successfully and systematically grown the company from a $7
million business with 19 stores to a $4 billion enterprise with more
than 3,700 stores in 11 countries. After the sale of Blockbuster,
Huizenga refocused his activities on Huizenga Holdings, acquiring
Republic Waste Industries, which he grew to be the third-largest company
of its kind in the U.S. At the same time, Huizenga planned and launched
AutoNation, the first nationwide auto dealer in the U.S. Huizenga
developed a one-price strategy, hired exceptional management, and grew
AutoNation to be the largest auto dealership in the country – now with
370 dealerships – and the first to go public. Next, Huizenga formed the
company Extended Stay America with an associate. In its first year, the
company surpassed its goal of 50 locations by 12. By the time Extended
Stay America was sold in 2004, it had nearly 500 hotels in 42 states.
Huizenga has also led several sports franchises in Florida. He led the
charge in Southern Florida to obtain a Major League Baseball team, and
in its fifth year, the Florida Marlins won the World Series. Huizenga
was also entrusted with the Florida Panthers, a National Hockey League
expansion team, which reached the Stanley Cup Finals in its third
season. Currently, Huizenga’s only sports holding is the Miami Dolphins,
but at one time he was the first person to own three major-league sports
franchises at once. Today he is a Billionaire. Met Viacom's Redstone at
Sun Valley in the early 1990s, a relationship that culminated in Viacom
buying Blockbuster in 1994 for US$7.7 billion. |
| Idei, Nobuyuki |
Nobuyuki Idei was named Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer, Sony Corporation, in June 2000. The Chief Executive
Officer title was renamed as Group Chief Executive Officer, Sony
Corporation, in April 2003. He had served as President and Chief
Executive Officer since June 1999. He was named President and
Representative Director, Sony Corporation, in April 1995. Mr. Idei has
played a key role in moving Sony into the digital age and in developing
and enhancing Sony’s renowned design and brand image throughout his
career. He oversaw the areas of Corporate Communications and Advertising
as a Director and then Managing Director of Sony Corporation from
1989-1995. During that time he also served as Senior General Manager of
the Creative Communication Division (1994), Products Communication Group
(1993), Merchandising and Product Communication Strategy Group (1991),
and Advertising and Marketing Communication Strategy Group (1990). With
his strong background in international marketing, Mr. Idei has
contributed significantly to Sony’s reputation as one of the worldwide
leaders in the consumer audio/ video industry as Deputy Senior General
Manager, Video Group (1986) and Senior General Manager, Home Video Group
(1988). He has been instrumental in Sony’s involvement in the computer
business and was a key figure in the establishment of Sony’s compact
disc market, and the strengthening of Sony’s consumer VCR business.
Internationally he was active in the establishment of Sony’s European
market presence, particularly through the opening of Sony France in the
late 1960’s and early 1970’s. Mr. Idei joined Sony in 1960 after
graduating from Waseda University, Faculty of Politics and Economics. He
also attended L’Institute des Hautes Etudes Internationales in Geneva,
Switzerland (from 1962 to 1963). His family includes his wife, Teruyo,
and a daughter, Mari. He is fluent in English and French, and his
interests include golf and movies. Mr. Idei was also elected onto the
board of General Motors in November 1999 and Nestlé S.A. in April 2001.
He served as Chairman of the IT Strategy Council, an advisory committee
to Japan’s Prime Minister from July to November 2000. |
| Iger, Robert A. |
Robert A. Iger, president and chief operating
officer and CEO-elect of The Walt Disney Company, has held his current
position since January, 2000. At that time, he also became a member of
Disney's board of directors and of its executive management committee.
He will officially become chief executive officer on October 1, 2005.
Iger had been chairman of the Disney-owned ABC Group, where he guided
the complex merger of ABC with The Walt Disney Company. Simultaneously,
he was president of Walt Disney International, where he created an
organization embracing Europe, the Asia-Pacific Region and Latin
America. His mission for Walt Disney International was to establish
Disney's brand on a worldwide basis and consolidate international
operations under a coordinated leadership. As Disney's president and
chief operating officer, Iger works with Michael D. Eisner, chairman and
chief executive officer, in overseeing all aspects of The Walt Disney
Company's operations on a worldwide basis. The heads of all of Disney's
business units and its chief strategic officer report to both Eisner and
Iger. Iger first became part of Disney's management team in 1996, when
The Walt Disney Company acquired Capital Cities/ABC, where Iger had been
president and chief operating officer. During Iger's years with ABC, he
obtained hands-on experience in virtually every aspect of the television
network business, including news, sports and entertainment, as well as
the business side of television such as program acquisition, rights
negotiations and business affairs. ABC saw tremendous growth during
Iger's career there, becoming a market leader in network television and
expanding into numerous cable and related ventures, including A&E, The
History Channel, Lifetime, ESPN and ESPN-related businesses. He began
his career at ABC in 1974 as a studio supervisor in New York, then moved
to ABC Sports, where he advanced over a 12-year period through a series
of increasingly responsible management posts. He became vice president
of programming, responsible for all scheduling and program acquisitions
for ABC Sports in 1987. He left ABC Sports in 1988 for a promotion to
executive vice president of the ABC Television Network and became
president of ABC Entertainment in Los Angeles a year later. Iger was
promoted to president to the ABC Television Network Group in New York in
1993 and was named president and chief operating officer of ABC in 1994.
He is a member of the board of directors of Lincoln Center for the
Performing Arts, Inc. and New York City Outward Bound. He is a trustee
of the American Film Institute Board, of the Museum of Television and
Radio and of Ithaca College, where he graduated magna cum laude.
|
| Jobs, Steven P. |
Steven Paul Jobs is the charismatic and
temperamental co-founder of Apple Computer. Perhaps the pre-eminent
pioneer of personal computing, Jobs was compelled to leave Apple in
1985. Jobs founded NeXT Computer in 1985, purchased a majority share of
the 3-D animation company Pixar Corporation in 1986, and returned to the
helm of Apple in 1997. Has has also been a director, chairman and CEO of
Pixar Animation Studios. Always a controversial figure, Jobs has been
among the most publicized, loved, and hated of Silicon Valley
entrepreneurs. He has been credited and blamed for a generation of
successes and failures in the computer industry. |
| Johnson, Robert L. |
Robert Johnson is the founder and Chief
Executive Officer of the cable television network Black Entertainment
Television (BET) and, as a result of that successful venture, the
richest African American in the United States. In 2000 BET became a
property of Viacom Incorporated. In December 2002 Johnson became the
first African American to own a major league sports franchise in the
United States when he was awarded a National Basketball Association
franchise in Charlotte, North Carolina. |
| Jordan, Vernon E., Jr. |
Born on August 15, 1935. Graduate of DePauw
University and the Howard University Law School. Senior Managing
Director of Lazard Frères & Co. LLC in New York. He works with a diverse
group of clients across a broad range of industries. Prior to joining
Lazard, Mr. Jordan was a senior executive partner with the law firm of
Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, L.L.P., where he remains Of Counsel.
While there Mr. Jordan practiced general, corporate, legislative and
international law in Washington, D.C. Before Akin Gump, Mr. Jordan held
the following positions: President and CEO of the National Urban League,
Inc.; Executive Director of the United Negro College Fund, Inc.;
Director of the Voter Education Project of the Southern Regional
Council; Attorney-Consultant, U.S. Office of Economic Opportunity;
Assistant to the Executive Director of the Southern Regional Council;
Georgia Field Director of the National Association for the Advancement
of Colored People, and an attorney in private practice in Arkansas and
Georgia. Mr. Jordan's presidential appointments include: the President's
Advisory Committee for the Points of Light Initiative Foundation; the
Secretary of State's Advisory Committee on South Africa; the Advisory
Council on Social Security; the Presidential Clemency Board; the
American Revolution Bicentennial Commission; the National Advisory
Committee on Selective Service; and the Council of the White House
Conference "To Fulfill These Rights." In 1992, Mr. Jordan served as the
Chairman of the Clinton Presidential Transition Team. Mr. Jordan's
corporate and other directorships include: America Online Latin America,
Inc.; American Express Company; Asbury Automotive Group, Inc.; Callaway
Golf Company; Clear Channel Communications, Inc.; Dow Jones & Company,
Inc.; Howard University (Trustee); J.C. Penney Company, Inc.; Revlon,
Inc.; Sara Lee Corporation; Shinsei Bank, Ltd. (Senior Advisor); Xerox
Corporation; International Advisory Board of DaimlerChrysler; Fuji Bank
and Barrick Gold. He holds honorary degrees from more than 50 colleges
and universities in America. He is a member of the Bars of Arkansas, the
District of Columbia, Georgia and the U.S. Supreme Court. He is a member
of the American Bar Association, the National Bar Association and The
Bilderberg Meetings. Member of the Trilateral Commission. Mr. Jordan is
Co-Chair of the Ad Council's Advisory Committee on Public Issues and is
a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. In the late 1990s Jordan
sat on the initial board of FirstMark Communications, together with Lynn
Forester de Rothschild (founder), Evelyn de Rothschild, Henry Kissinger,
Michael J. Price (former managing director Lazard), and Nathan Myhrvold
(former CEO Microsoft). Close friend and adviser of President Clinton.
The Clintons spend Christmas Eve with the Jordans and often visit them
at their holiday home in the island resort of Martha's Vineyard. In
August 2004 the Clintons were present at a Martha's Vineyard party where
Vernon Jordan and Sir Evelyn de Rothschild celebrated their birthdays
together. Jordan was accused of aiding in a cover-up of the President
Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky. Ultimately, the allegations that
Jordan asked Lewinsky to lie to investigators and arranged a job for her
in New York in exchange for her silence were not addressed in the report
that Ken Starr delivered to Congress. According to the BBC: Vernon
Jordan is the ultimate Washington insider. He has been called a
"go-between", a "fixer-without-portfolio", a "freelance hired gun". |
| Karmazin, Mel |
Mel Karmazin was president and Chief Operating
Officer (COO) of Viacom beginning with the merger of Viacom and the CBS
Corporation in May 2000 and lasting until June 1, 2004, when he
resigned. At the time of his resignation, Karmazin did not mention other
career plans. During his earlier career, Karmazin ran Infinity
Broadcasting – a major radio station group – and served as president and
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of CBS. As president and COO of Viacom,
Karmazin presides over one of the world’s largest media empires, which
includes among other assets CBS, MTV, UPN, Paramount Entertainment, and
Simon & Schuster. Before his abrupt resignation, Karmazin was widely
considered to be the heir apparent to Viacom’s chairmanship, currently
occupied by the company’s founder Sumner Redstone, with whom Karmazin
historically enjoyed a difficult relationship. Karmazin was replaced
immediately by Redstone with two Viacom executives, Tom Freston, chief
executive of Viacom's MTV Networks subsidiary, and Leslie Moonves, chief
executive of CBS, also a subsidiary. On November 19, 2004, Sirius
Satellite Radio announced that Mel Karmazin would become its chief
executive officer. The announcement came as somewhat of a surprise since
Karmazin had been quoted a few months earlier as being doubtful about
satellite radio's prospects. |
| Katzenberg, Jeffrey |
Jeffrey Katzenberg rose through the ranks at
Paramount Pictures before assuming the chairmanship of Walt Disney
Studios. During a notable 10-year run, he teamed with Walt Disney
Company chairman Michael Eisner to put Disney – and feature-length
animation – back on the map. When Katzenberg’s relationship with Eisner
went sour, Katzenberg earned the nickname “the Katz that bit the mouse”
by successfully suing Disney in 1994; extracting a massive severance
package. He then teamed with industry heavyweights Steven Spielberg and
David Geffen to form DreamWorks SKG, the first new Hollywood studio to
be created since the 1930s. The only non-billionaire among DreamWorks’
founders, Katzenberg is considered to be the studio’s primary creative
force. |
| Kennard, Bill |
Stanford University and Yale Law School,
partner in the Washington law firm of Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard,
McPherson & Hand, chairman Federal Communications Commission (FCC),
managing director of The Carlyle Group and a director of The New York
Times Company. |
| Keough, Donald R. |
Director, president & CEO Coca-Cola, chairman
Allen & Co., director H.J. Heinz Company, The Washington Post Company,
USA Networks Inc. and McDonald's Corporation, chairman Excalibur
Technologies, Trilateral Commission. The Keough Institute for Irish
Studies and the Keough-Notre Dame Centre in Dublin are both named in his
honor. Chairman of the Notre Dame University Board of Trustees.
(Ireland) |
| Kerkorian, Kirk |
Kirk Kerkorian is one of two dominant owners
of Las Vegas hotels and casinos (along with Steve Wynn) and the
controlling shareholder of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Incorporated (MGM),
operator of the legendary MGM Hollywood studios. Once acknowledged as
the greatest studio in the history of Hollywood, MGM was radically
downsized following acquisition by Kerkorian in 1970. A quiet and
unassuming man, Kerkorian had been adulated by the business community as
a self-made billionaire who adapted MGM to the competitive climate of
the late 20th century. At the same time, critics have reviled him as a
takeover artist and the destroyer of one of Hollywood’s most venerable
entertainment institutions. |
| Knight, Philip |
Founder, chairman and CEO of Nike Inc. Owns
two private jets and is a billionaire. |
| Kreisky, Peter |
Former CBS strategic planner. Now Chairman of
Kreisky Media Consultancy (Boston). |
| Laybourne, Geraldine B. |
Geraldine Laybourne became one of the most
influential women in television during her hugely successful tenure with
children’s cable TV network Nickelodeon, which she transformed during
the 1980s and 1990s from a noncommercial startup into one of the most
important and lucrative television brands. Following her appointment as
vice-chairman of Viacom’s MTV Networks and a brief tenure as
vice-president of Disney/ABC Television, Laybourne launched Oxygen Media
in 2000 with an all-star group of partners and a design to transform
women’s television as she had done with children’s television. The
network struggled during its first years, in part because Oxygen’s
founders made a mistake Laybourne had avoided at Nickelodeon, treating
their clients like children. |
| Leavitt, Michael |
Michael O. Leavitt was sworn in as the 20th
Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on January
26, 2005. Prior to his current service, Leavitt served as Administrator
of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Governor of Utah. The
people of Utah elected Mike Leavitt governor three times. Prior to
leaving the statehouse to work in the Bush Administration, he was the
nation's longest-serving governor. During his eleven years of service,
Utah was recognized six times as one of America's best managed states.
He was chosen by his peers as Chairman of the National Governors
Association, Western Governors Association and Republican Governors
Association because of his ability to solve problems across partisan
lines. Utah's governor before President George W. Bush tapped him to
head the Environmental Protection Agency, and now as Secretary of Health
and Human Services. |
| Lee, Debi |
Attended the 2005 meeting according to the
Associated Press. In 2005, she became a CEO of BET Holdings (Black
Entertainment Television), a cable channel unit of Viacom Inc. Went with
BET chairman Robert Johnson. |
| Levin, Gerald M. |
Once rated the fourth most powerful person in
the media, Gerald Levin is the former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of
AOL Time Warner and of the pre-AOL merger Time Warner, Incorporated.
Levin is best known for pioneering the use of communication satellites
to obtain nationwide distribution of programming for Time Inc.’s Home
Box Office (HBO), and also as the architect of the 1990 merger between
Time Warner and America Online (AOL). Looked over the Turner acquisition
(owned CNN). Finally in 2000, he sold the firm to AOL Chairman Steve
Case. (owns Turner Broadcasting Systems, TBS, TNT, Cartoon Network, and
Turner Classic Movies. Member Trilateral Commission, member Council on
Foreign Relations. Member of the Chief Executive's Council of
International Advisors of the Government of the Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region, together with Paul Volcker, Andre Desmarais, Sir
John Bond, Peter Sutherland, and Maurice R. Greenberg. |
| Malone, John Custer |
Dr. John C. Malone is Chairman of Liberty
Media Corporation, a position he has held since 1990. From 1996 to
March, 1999 when Tele-Communications, Inc., (TCI) merged with AT&T
Corp., he was also Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of TCI. Previous
to that, from 1973 to 1996, Dr. Malone served as President and CEO of
TCI. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Bank of New
York, the CATO Institute, Discovery Communications, Inc.,
UnitedGlobalCom, Inc., Cablevision Systems Corporation, and The Nature
Conservancy. Additionally, Dr. Malone is Chairman Emeritus of the Board
for Cable Television Laboratories, Inc. and Chairman, CEO and President
of Liberty Media International. Born March 7, 1941, in Milford,
Connecticut, Dr. Malone was a Phi Beta Kappa and merit scholar at Yale
University where he obtained a Bachelor of Science in Electrical
Engineering and Economics in 1963. He also received a Master of Science
in Industrial Management from Johns Hopkins in 1964 and a Doctor of
Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Operations Research from Johns Hopkins in 1967.
Dr. Malone began his career in 1963 at Bell Telephone Laboratories /
AT&T in economic planning and research and development. In 1968, he
joined McKinsey & Company and in 1970 he became Group Vice President at
General Instrument Corporation (GI). He was later named President of
Jerrold Electronics, a GI subsidiary. He served as Director of the
National Cable Television Association (NCTA) from 1974 to 1977 and again
from 1980 to 1993. During the 1977-1978 term, Dr. Malone was the NCTA's
Treasurer. |
| Mays, Lowry |
Lowry Mays, the man Fortune magazine has
labeled the “Big Daddy of radio,” is the founder and Chief Executive
Officer (CEO) of Clear Channel Communications, the largest U.S. chain of
radio stations. Clear Channel's aggressive acquisitiveness and bottom
line business practices have elicited opposition bordering on hatred
from competitors, artists, and local radio advocates. Accordingly, Mays
has come to be seen by critics as an evil emperor, bent on converting
locally unique cultural offerings into Mall of America sameness. Mays
has stated that he has no interest in radio content, but only in selling
advertisements. |
| Middelhoff, Thomas |
CEO of Bertelsmann. Bertelsmann doesn't have
any debts, which is quite a contrast with it's American competitors. He
is a trustee of Atlantik-Brücke. |
| Moonves, Leslie |
Leslie Moonves was named Co-President and
Co-Chief Operating Officer of Viacom in June 2004. In this role, he
oversees all of Viacom's domestic and international broadcast television
operations, its radio division and its outdoor advertising operations.
Included in this vast area of oversight are CBS, UPN, CBS Enterprises,
King World, the Viacom Television Stations Group, Paramount Television,
Infinity Broadcasting and Viacom Outdoor. In addition, Moonves continues
to serve as Chairman of CBS. He was promoted to Chairman and CEO of CBS
in 2003, and prior to that, was President and Chief Executive Officer,
CBS Television, a position he was elevated to in April 1998. He joined
CBS in July 1995 as President, CBS Entertainment. |
| Moore, Gordon |
Gordon Moore is one of the two founders of
Intel Corporation, and a distinguished engineer and scientist who was
responsible for a number of major breakthroughs in semiconductor
technology. Intel has been a leading producer of microprocessors and
other semiconductor devices since the years immediately following the
company's founding in 1968, and by the mid-1990s had grown to be one of
the most dominant and important companies in the world. Moore served as
Intel's President and Chief Executive Officer of from 1975 until 1987,
at which time he was named Chairman Emeritus. |
| Mondale, Walter Frederick |
Senator from Minnesota and Vice President of
the United States; born in Ceylon, Martin County, Minn., January 5,
1928; attended the Heron Lake and Elmore, Minn., public schools;
attended Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn.; graduated from the
University of Minnesota in 1951; served in the United States Army
1951-1953; graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School 1956;
admitted to the Minnesota bar in 1956 and commenced practice in
Minneapolis; appointed and elected attorney general of Minnesota in 1960
and reelected in 1962; member of the President’s Consumer Advisory
Council 1960-1964; appointed on December 30, 1964, as a Democrat to the
United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of
Hubert H. Humphrey for the term ending January 3, 1967; elected in 1966
for the term commencing January 3, 1967; reelected in 1972 and served
from December 30, 1964, until his resignation December 30, 1976;
chairman, Select Committee on Equal Education Opportunity (Ninety-first
and Ninety-second Congresses); elected Vice President of the United
States on the Democratic ticket with President Jimmy Carter on November
2, 1976; inaugurated January 20, 1977, and served until January 20,
1981; unsuccessful Democratic candidate for reelection; unsuccessful
Democratic nominee for President of the United States in 1984;
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Japan, 1993-1996;
unsuccessful Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2002. |
| Murdoch, Lachlan K. |
Lachlan Keith Murdoch (born 1971) is the son
of media mogul, Rupert Murdoch and is heir apparent of News Corporation.
Lachlan was born in London, but was raised in a wealthy Manhattan
neighbourhood, where his father owned the New York Post. He received his
education at the exclusive Aspen County Day School in Colorado and
earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Princeton University.
During summers he would work jobs ranging from cleaning printing presses
to sub-editor at The Sun and The Times. His first job came at Queensland
Newspapers, which publishes The Courier-Mail in Brisbane. He then became
publisher of Australia’s first national paper, The Australian. In 1995
he was appointed Deputy CEO of News Limited, Executive Director of News
Corporation since 1996, Deputy Chief Operating Officer since 2000,
Senior Executive Vice President from 1999 to 2000, and Chairman of STAR
since 1995. He has been criticised as a "rich brat" for his "poor
handling" of Murdoch interests in One.Tel, which lost the empire
millions of dollars. Lachlan has also been attacked for trying to
"Americanise" Australian newspapers. He is also a publisher of the New
York Post. |
| Murdoch, Rupert Keith |
Australian-American publishing magnate with a
personal fortune of about 8 billion dollars. Combining sensationalist
journalism (often reflective of his generally hawkish, strongly
conservative political views) with aggressive promotion, Murdoch
established a worldwide communications empire, the News Corporation,
that, among other assets, includes powerful holdings in Australia and
New Zealand; the prestigious Times of London and other British papers;
and, in the United States, HarperCollins book publishers, the New York
Post, and TV Guide. He also acquired 20th Century Fox film studios and
home video and built the Fox Television network, as well as television
stations in Australia. His other communications ventures include
direct-broadcast satellite television and cable networks, and he has
purchased broadcast rights to major sports events in Britain, the United
States, Australia, and India. He became a U.S. citizen in 1985. One of
the News Corporations he owns is the UK's British Sky Broadcasting, of
which he is a chairman. Vice-chairman of that company since 2003 is Lord
Jacob Rothschild. Rupert has been a friend of Rothschild since he first
came to the UK in the 1960s. Murdoch has also been a director of Philip
Morris and arms manufacturer United Technologies. |
| Murphy, Thomas S. |
Thomas S. Murphy was chairman and chief
executive officer (CEO) of Capital Cities/ABC, Inc. from the time
Capital Cities acquired the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) until
his retirement in 1996. During his 30-year tenure with Capital Cities
and ABC, Murphy led the transition of a small television holding company
and the nation's number three broadcast network to the status of
multinational media conglomerate. Cap Cities/ABC was acquired by the
Walt Disney Company in 1996. |
| Nardelli, Robert L. |
BSc in Business, Western Illinois University,
MBA, University of Louisville. 1971, joined GE; leadership positions in
Appliances, Lighting and Transportation Systems business units; 1988,
joined Case Corporation as Executive Vice-President and led the
Worldwide Parts and Components group; later, promoted to lead the Case
Construction Equipment global business; 1991, returned to GE as
President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Appliance Manufacturing
Co. (CAMCO); 1992, President and Chief Executive Officer, GE
Transportation Systems, Erie, PA; 2000, operational responsibility for
Home Depot; 2002, Chairman of Board of Directors. 2002, appointed to the
Board of Directors, Coca-Cola. 2003, selected to serve on the
President's Council on Service and Civic Participation. Invited to join
the Board of Councillors, Carter Center. |
| O'Donovan, Leo J. |
Fr. O'Donovan, 70, is President Emeritus of
Georgetown University, having served as President of the University from
1989 until 2001. He has served on a number of higher education boards,
including that of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities,
and was a member of the Steering Committee of Presidents for the America
Reads initiative. He also is a former member of the National Council on
the Arts of the National Endowment for the Arts, past chair of the
Consortium on Financing Higher Education and past president of the
Catholic Theological Society of America. He is a director of the Disney
Company. |
| Ollila, Jorma J. |
Master of Political Science (University of
Helsinki), Master of Science (Econ.) (London School of Economics),
Master of Science (Eng.) (Helsinki University of Technology). President
and CEO, Chairman of the Group Executive Board of Nokia Corporation
1992-1999, President of Nokia Mobile Phones 1990-1992, Senior Vice
President, Finance of Nokia 1986-1989. Holder of various managerial
positions at Citibank within corporate banking 1978-1985. Member of the
Board of Directors of Ford Motor Company and Vice Chairman of the Board
of Directors of UPM-Kymmene Corporation and Vice Chairman of the Board
of Directors of Otava Books and Magazines Group Ltd. Chairman of the
Boards of Directors and the Supervisory Boards of Finnish Business and
Policy Forum EVA and The Research Institute of the Finnish Economy ETLA.
Member of The European Round Table of Industrialists. |
| Ovitz, Michael |
Once known as “the most powerful man in
Hollywood,” Michael Ovitz founded and headed Creative Artists Agency
(CAA), one of the film industry’s most powerful talent agencies with a
client list that would include some 150 directors, 130 actors, and 250
writers by the late 1980s. Ovitz’s extraordinary success was built
through a series of strategic moves that effectively broke the unwritten
laws of how the entertainment business should be conducted. In late
1995, Ovitz surprised Hollywood insiders by accepting Michael Eisner’s
offer to become president of the Walt Disney Company, only to leave the
company 15 months later with a severance package worth more than $100
million. |
| Page, Lawrence "Larry" E. |
Larry E. Page is, as of March 2005, the
President of Products of Google Inc. Together with Sergey Brin he
founded google. As of 2004, both have an estimated fortune of about 7
billion dollars. |
| Parsons, Richard D. |
Undergraduate studies at the University of
Hawaii; legal training, Albany Law School, Union University. Formerly:
various positions in state and federal service; Counsel for Nelson
Rockefeller; Senior White House Aide under President Ford; Managing
Partner, Patterson, Belknap, Webb & Tyler, New York; Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer, Dime Bancorp. Since 1991, Member of the Board of
Directors and 1995, became President, Time Warner. Currently, Chief
Executive Officer, Time Warner. Member of the Board: Citigroup; Estee
Lauder; Colonial Williamsburg Foundation; Lincoln Center; Museum of
Modern Art; Howard University. Chairman: Upper Manhattan Empowerment
Zone Development Corporation; Apollo Theatre Foundation. 2001, appointed
Co-Chairman, President's Commission to Strengthen Social Security.
Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Time Warner Inc. |
| Perelman, Ronald O. |
Ronald O. Perelman is Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer of MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings, a diversified holding
company with interests in consumer products, entertainment, financial
services, biotechnology and gaming. Among the principal interests of
MacAndrews & Forbes are: Revlon, Inc., Panavision, Inc., Allied
Security, TransTech Pharma, Scientific Games Corporation, Marvel
Entertainment (Toy Biz, Fleer trading cards and Marvel comic books), the
Coleman Company (outdoor recreation equipment), New World Communications
Group (10 television stations), Mafco Worldwide (flavors), Meridian
Sports (water sports, including Boston Whaler boats), First Nationwide
Bank (multistate banking), National Health Laboratories (clinical
diagnostic-testing laboratories) and Consolidated Cigar Corporation
(cigars). These days, Perelman's efforts are focused on building a
television-broadcasting empire. The New York Department of Dermatology
was named in his after a generous gift in 1991. Perelman has a personal
fortune of about 5 billion dollars and is a friend of John Bongiovi.
Offended Allen by hiring locals and body guards to protect him.
|
| Perenchio, Jerry |
Jerry Perenchio, who runs Univision
Communications Inc., has an iron grip on America's 40 million Hispanics.
From a single Spanish-language TV station, he has put together a media
colossus whose networks outdraw the big U.S. networks among
18-to-49-year-olds in prime time. Univision draws more young viewers in
prime time than MTV and more men than ESPN, according to Nielsen. And in
Hispanic-rich markets such as Los Angeles, Miami, and Phoenix, it often
beats English-language rivals to snare the younger viewers advertisers
crave. Perenchio has added music labels and TV stations. Last year, he
paid $3.4 billion for Hispanic Broadcasting, making Univision the
nation's largest Spanish radio company. The most powerful mogul in
Spanish TV distrusts the media, rarely gives interviews, and doesn't
even speak Spanish. He's a jet-hopping, 73-year-old former boxing
promoter who pals around with George Bush (41 and 43) and lives in the
sprawling Bel Air (Calif.) mansion featured in the 1960s sitcom The
Beverly Hillbillies. He loves throwing lavish parties -- once he even
flew in Henry Mancini and Andy Williams to perform at his son's 1981
wedding. Still, to most people in Hollywood, where as a talent agent he
once championed the careers of Elizabeth Taylor and Marlon Brando, Jerry
Perenchio is an enigma. |
| Peretsman, Nancy B. |
Executive vice president and manager director,
Allen & Co. Nancy is a director of Charter Communications, the fourth
largest cable company in the United States, Narad Networks, and
Priceline, in which she was an original investor. Before she came to
Allen & Co. she was employed at Salomon's. When she decided to leave,
Warren Buffett (major shareholder of Solomon's) tried to convince her to
stay, until he heard she went to Allen & Company. |
| Pollack, Sydney |
Producer of movies like 'The Firm', 'The
Talented Mr. Ripley' & 'Cold Mountain'. Winner of year 2000 John Huston
Award, presented by Tom Cruise on behalf of Directors Guild of America,
as a "defender of artists' rights...a warrior." |
| Redstone, Sumner |
Acquired Viacom in 1987, which owns CBS
Television Network, MTV, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, VH1, Black
Entertainment Television, Paramount Pictures, Infinity Broadcasting,
Viacom Outdoor, UPN, TV Land, Comedy Central, CMT: Country Music
Television, King World, Spike TV, Showtime, and Simon & Schuster. He is
often described as 'self absorbed' and has had conflicts with other Sun
Valley guests like Barry Diller and Frank Biondi. Founding member of the
American Cancer Foundation. Privately, he also gives to the United
Jewish Appeal. Has a personal fortune of about 8 billion dollars.
|
| Roberts, Brian |
Since the age of 30, Brian Roberts has been
President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Comcast Corporation, the
world's largest cable television company. Comcast became the world's
largest cable operator with the acquisition of industry leader AT&T
Broadband in December 2002. Roberts is perhaps best known for his
ability to spot business opportunity, to "zero in" aggressively in
pursuit of a new acquisition, and to negotiate a favorable agreement.
Brian credits his mastery of these and other skills to his father and
mentor; Comcast founder Ralph Roberts. The father-son team that runs
Comcast is a unique and respected institution in American business. |
| Robinson, James D., III |
James D. Robinson III has been a Director of
the Company (First Data) since April 1992 and a Director of eONE Global
General Partner II, LLC, a majority-owned subsidiary of the Company,
since December 2002. He is a General Partner and co-founder of RRE
Ventures, a private information technology venture investment firm. Mr.
Robinson previously served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and
as a Director of American Express from 1977 until February 1993. He is a
Director of Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, The Coca-Cola Company, Novell,
Inc., Pinnacor, Inc. First Data, and several privately owned companies.
Mr. Robinson is a member of the Business Council, the Council on Foreign
Relations and the Committee for Economic Development. He is Honorary
Co-Chairman of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, an honorary
Trustee of the Brookings Institution and Chairman Emeritus of the World
Travel and Tourism Council Institution. He is invited every year. |
| Rutherfurd, James |
Rutherfurd heads the investment banking group
of Veronis Suhler Stevenson, a merchant bank specializing in the media
industry, and is a senior principal with the company's VS&A
Communications Partners III fund. He also manages the VSS Focus Program,
which looks for deals that Veronis Suhler Stevenson can take part in; he
has closed more than $28 billion in media transactions, according to the
bank. Before Veronis Suhler Stevenson hired Rutherfurd in January 1999,
he was a managing director in JP Morgan's mergers and acquisitions group
and co-head of the company's media group. Rutherfurd has a law degree
from the University of Virginia and a bachelor's degree from Princeton
University. |
| Saban, Haim |
Egyptian-born Israeli Haim Saban emigrated to
the U.S. to join the major league of media moguls, primarily on the
strength of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, a phenomenally popular
television series (and line of licensed products). Saban began his
career as Israel’s, and then France’s leading music promoter/manager
before founding Saban Entertainment in Los Angeles. In the late 1990s he
launched cable network Fox Family Worldwide in partnership with News
Corporation chairman Rupert Murdoch. Although Fox Family flopped in the
ratings, the network was sold to Disney for more than $5 billion, making
Saban a billionaire and funding his subsequent series of bold moves to
acquire media assets in Europe. |
| Sassa, Scott |
President of NBC Entertainment Organization.
Before joining NBC, he worked for Ronald Perelman's Andrews Group, where
he was CEO of Marvel Entertainment, an Andrews Group subsidiary. Before
that he spent nine years at Turner Broadcasting System (CNN), and before
that he was vice president of network management for Fox Broadcasting,
where he worked for Barry Diller. |
| Sawyer, Diane |
Administrator of the White House press office
1970-1974, researcher for Richard Nixon's memoirs 1974-1978, CBS' U.S.
State Department correspondent, correspondent CBS Evening News
1978-1981, co-anchor CBS Morning News 1981-1984, co-anchor CBS'
Early Morning News 1982-1984, correspondent and co-editor of
60 Minutes 1984-1989, co-anchor of ABC's Prime Time Live
since 1989, co-anchor of ABC's Good Morning America since 1999.
Member Council on Foreign Relations. She is a longtime friend of Herb
Allen. Sawyer reported live from Ground Zero during the week of Sept.
11. She returned to Afghanistan to reunite the women profiled in her
1996 report from behind the burqua, as one of the first Western
journalists to expose the plight of women under Taliban rule. Her
interviews include President George W. Bush in his first national
interview; Saddam Hussein, the first Western television interview
granted by the Iraqi president for nearly a decade; President Fidel
Castro; Robert MacNamara's public apology on Vietnam; Sammy "The Bull"
Gravano, the convicted Mafia member who turned against the Gambino crime
family and his boss, John Gotti; Ellen DeGeneres, who announced her
homosexuality; ousted Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega's first interview
from prison; Michael Jackson and his then-wife Lisa Marie Presley's only
interview; Michael J. Fox's interview about Parkinson's disease and the
decision to leave his show; and former first lady Nancy Reagan on
President Reagan's battle with Alzheimer's disease and their 50-year
marriage. She also had the first interview at home with the Clintons
after the 1992 presidential election. Sawyer is also an award-winning
investigative journalist, on topics ranging from biological weapons
production in Russia to daycare abuse. She brought American viewers a
shocking report on the warehousing of Russian children in state-run
orphanages; a diary of life inside a maximum security prison for women,
where Sawyer spent two days and nights; an investigation into the
neglect and abuse at state-run institutions for the mentally retarded;
and a landmark investigation into pharmacy prescription errors.
|
| Schneider, John A. |
Managing director Allen & Co., chairman
Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis, director Andre Agassi Foundation. A
John A. Schneider has been a president of the CBS Broadcasting group
until 1977. Not sure if it's the same person. |
| Scott, H. Lee, Jr. |
H. Lee Scott, Jr. has served as President and
Chief Executive Officer of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. since January 2000. Lee
joined Wal-Mart in 1979 in the company's logistics and transportation
area, and he worked in that area in a series of progressive positions
for the first 16 years of his Wal-Mart career. He served as Director of
Transportation, Vice President of Distribution, and Senior Vice
President of Logistics during that time. Lee was promoted to Executive
Vice President of Logistics in 1993. In 1995, Lee was named Executive
Vice President of Merchandise and Sales for the Wal-Mart Stores
Division. In 1998, he was named President and Chief Executive Officer of
the Wal-Mart Stores Division, and in 1999, he became Chief Operating
Officer and Vice Chairman of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. During Lee's tenure
in logistics and transportation, Wal-Mart's program drew increasing
respect as one of the best of its kind in business. Working with his
merchandise team during his time in that area, Scott also was
instrumental in driving improvement in inventory levels and merchandise
flow in the stores. Prior to joining Wal-Mart, Lee worked with two
companies in the freight and transportation area, Yellow Freight System
and Queen City Warehouse. Lee is a graduate of Pittsburg State
University (Kansas) with a bachelor's degree in business. Lee also has
completed executive development programs at Penn State University and
Columbia University. |
| Semel, Terry |
Since May 2001, Terry Semel has served as the
chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Yahoo! Inc., a leading
provider of online services. As “Chief Yahoo,” Semel has engineered what
Business Week characterized as “one of the most remarkable revivals of a
beleaguered dot-com.” During the last 24 years of the 20th century,
Semel served (with Robert Daly) as co-chairman and co-Chief Executive
Officer (CEO) of Warner Brothers, and was credited with transforming the
company from an ageing movie studio into a diversified media
conglomerate generating more than $10 billion annually from diverse
operations in more than 50 countries. In 1999, Terry Semel, then co-CEO
of Warner Bros, met Yahoo! Inc co-founder Jerry Yang at the Allen & Co
retreat. Two years later, Semel was hired to run Yahoo. |
| Sharer, Kevin |
Kevin Sharer was named chief executive officer
of Amgen Inc., the world's largest biotechnology company, in 2000 and
chairman of the board in 2001. He joined Amgen in 1992 as president,
chief operating officer and member of the board of directors. Under
Sharer's guidance, the company has grown considerably, completing
biotech's largest acquisition, launching new products, building its
customer base, and adding thousands of employees. Before joining Amgen,
Sharer was executive vice president and president of the Business
Markets division at MCI Communications. Prior to working with MCI, he
served in a variety of executive roles at General Electric and was a
consultant for McKinsey & Company. Sharer serves on the board of
directors for 3M, UNOCAL and the U.S. Naval Academy Foundation. Since
2003, he also sits on the board of directors at Northrop Grunman. He is
chairman of the board of trustees of the Los Angeles County Museum of
Natural History and a member of The Business Council. |
| Shuman, Stanley |
At 61, managing director Stanley Shuman is a
35-year veteran of Allen & Co. Shuman is one of media magnate Rupert
Murdoch's closest advisers, and he's close to wealthy Manhattan real
estate developer Bernard Mendik. Shuman is no shrinking violet, and his
large ego is a source of amusement to some of his colleagues. |
| Spielberg, Steven |
The most famous brand name in moviemaking
since Walt Disney, Steven Spielberg broke into Hollywood at a very young
age, directed and/or produced many of the biggest box-office hits of the
last three decades, and opened the first successful new movie studio in
Los Angeles since the mid-1930s. Spielberg is the wealthiest filmmaker
in history and renowned throughout the industry as the toughest of
negotiators. While the Spielberg Legend can be recited by film fans and
students around the world, the sheer enormity of his popular
achievements continue to obscure an important fact: Steven Spielberg is
one of the all-time great film directors. Co-founder of Dreamworks. |
| Stark, Ray |
Influential and prolific film producer who
made more than 125 films, including Funny Girl and Steel Magnolias. Died
in 2004. First introduced Herbert Allen to the Sun Valley. |
| Stern, David J. |
David Stern has been the commissioner of the
National Basketball Association since February 1, 1984. Mr. Stern began
his association with the NBA in 1966 as outside counsel, joined the NBA
in 1978 as general counsel and became the league's executive vice
president in 1980. In addition to being chairman of the board of
trustees at Columbia University, Mr. Stern currently serves on the
boards of Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City, the Rutgers
University Foundation, the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund, the
Museum of Television and Radio, and Jazz at Lincoln Center. He is also a
member of the Reading is Fundamental Advisory Council and the Board of
Associates of Gallaudet University. |
| Strauss, Robert S. |
Robert Strauss became Chairman of the Board of
the U.S.-Russia Business Council in January 1993. He is a Partner at
Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, L.L.P. In August 1991, Mr. Strauss
was sworn in as U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union. Following the
dissolution of the Soviet Union, he in turn became U.S. Ambassador to
the Russian Federation. In November 1992, he resigned from the Foreign
Service to rejoin his law firm. Mr. Strauss served as a Special Agent in
the FBI after receiving his law degree from the University of Texas. In
January 1946, he entered private law practice and founded the firm that
became Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, L.L.P., with offices in Texas,
Washington, Brussels, and Moscow. Mr. Strauss served as Chairman of the
Democratic National Committee from 1973 to 1976. He served as Chairman
of President Carter's election campaign in 1976, and then in President
Carter's Cabinet as Special Trade Representative. Over the next
two-and-a-half years, Mr. Strauss successfully concluded the Tokyo Round
of Multilateral Trade Negotiations and directed its passage through
Congress, culminating in the Trade Act of 1979. Following the completion
of the trade agreements, President Carter asked Mr. Strauss to serve as
his Personal Representative to the Middle East peace negotiations. In
1981, Mr. Strauss was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the
nation's highest civilian award. A popular lecturer, he speaks
extensively across the country and abroad and has authored numerous
articles for professional journals, newspapers and magazines. Director
of Archer Daniels Midland, Xerox, and many other companies. He
previously held the Lloyd Bentsen Chair at the LBJ School of Public
Affairs at the University of Texas, where he has lectured at the School
of Law and the Graduate School of Business. Member of the Alfalfa Club,
Council on Foreign Relations, Trilateral Commission, and a trustee for
the Center for Strategic & International Studies. Strauss is a friend of
Herbert Allen |
| Stringer, Howard |
BA; MA in Modern History, Oxford Univ., UK.
Thirty years with CBS: 1976-81, Exec. Producer, CBS Reports; 1981-84,
Exec. Producer, CBS Evening News; 1984-86, Vice-President and 1986-88,
President, CBS News; 1988-95, President, CBS Broadcast Grp. 1995-97,
Chairman and CEO, Tele-TV, USA. Since 1997, current position and
Chairman, Sony Canada. Member of the Board of Directors: SCA; Sony
Electronics; Sony Music; Sony Pictures; 1999, Sony Corp. Member of the
Board, Sony Europe. Vice-Chairman, American Film Inst. Member of the
Board of Trustees, Museum of Television and Radio. Trustee, American
Women in Radio and Television. Director, Motion Picture & Television
Fund Foundation. Director or Member of the Board of Governors of several
organizations. Recipient of numerous awards, honours and January 2000,
awarded Knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II. Goes to DAVOS. |
| Tenet, George John |
Jesuit Georgetown University - School of
Foreign Service - Bachelor's degree 1976, Columbia University - School
of International Affairs - Master's degree 1978, staff director of the
Senate Committee on Intelligence 1988-1993, National Security Council
staff 1993-1995, deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency
(CIA) 1995-1996. CIA director 1996-2004. Went to the Sun Valley meeting
in 2003, giving a private intelligence briefing. Announced his
resignation for personal reasons and "the well-being of his family"
on 3 June 2004. Chairman United States Geospatial Intelligence
Foundation. Invited in 2005 as a member of the panel on terrorism.
Former anchor of NBC Tom Brokaw (CFR) and New York Times / Foreign
Affairs columnist Thomas Friedman (CFR) were the other members of the
panel. The panel was established, because at the start of the conference
there were terrorrist attacks in London. After his resignation as the
DCI he became a professor at Georgetown University. The Anti-Defamation
League (ADL) presented Tenet with its highest honor, the America's
Democratic Legacy Award, in 2005. |
| Turner, Robert E. "Ted" |
Robert Edward (Ted) Turner III is the
charismatic and controversial founder of Turner Broadcasting Systems
(TBS) and Cable News Network (CNN). TBS (currently a division of AOL
Time Warner) was a pioneer cable network that grew to become one of the
world's most successful broadcasting and media conglomerates. Turner has
become known for a flamboyant and outspoken personal style that has
earned him nicknames such as "Captain Outrageous," and "the Mouth from
the South." Vice-chairman of AOL Time Warner. Donated to the Lucis
Trust. His words about the Sun Valley Meetings after he stopped going
and subsequently wasn't invited anymore: "I guess I made it known
that I found it too boring hanging around all those people." In
1996, Turner apologized to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) for comments
he made comparing FOX head Rupert Murdoch to Hitler. In 1997, Turner
announced that he will donate $1 billion over the next decade to United
Nations programs. In 2004 Ted Turner called FOX an arm of the Bush
administration and compared FOXNEWS’s popularity to Hitler’s popular
election to run Germany before WWII. |
| Vigil, Henry 'Hank' P. |
Senior vice president of Consumer Strategy and
Partnerships at Microsoft. Vigil is responsible for developing
Microsoft's consumer strategy. Before he held this position, Vigil was
senior director of Strategy Planning and Business Development for the
Digital Television Group at Microsoft, responsible for the development
of Microsoft's digital TV strategy. Previously Vigil was general manager
of the Internet Commerce Business Unit, where he drove the acquisition
of eShop Inc., and general manager of the Interactive Television
Business Unit, where he redirected Microsoft's development efforts
toward the emerging Internet market. From 1990 to 1995, as director of
marketing for Desktop Applications, he was responsible for overall
marketing and business strategy for Microsoft Office, Microsoft Word and
Microsoft Excel. |
| Walker, Jay S. |
Founder of the online business (Priceline.com)that
lets users name their price for plane tickets, hotel rooms and
mortgages. Also responsible for reviving career of William (Captain
Kirk) Shatner, star of Priceline's unsettling television ads. With
copycat Web sites cropping up, trying to patent Priceline's "business
model." Has patents on scores of other ideas through his R&D lab, Walker
Digital. Launched online bargaining platform for gasoline and groceries
through Priceline subsidiary WebHouse Club. This year sold options for 8
million Priceline shares to Paul Allen's Vulcan Ventures and John
Malone's Liberty Digital for $190 million. Also gearing up for the IPO
of Synapse Group--a marketing firm for magazine publishers he cofounded
in 1991. Yonkers, N.Y. native has seen net worth tumble 62% since last
year, but still rich enough to collect misprinted U.S. currency and
space memorabilia. Has a personal fortune of about 1.6 billion. |
| Wang, Charles B. |
Founder, chairman and CEO of Computer
Associates International Inc. (CA). He was born in Shanghai, but moved
to Queens, NY when he was eight years old. |
| Wilpon, Fred |
Co-founder and chairman of Sterling Equities
and chairman and chief executive officer of the New York Mets. He bought
the New York Mets in 2002 for $391 million. |
| Winfrey, Oprah |
Oprah Winfrey, the star of the nationally and
internationally syndicated talk show The Oprah Winfrey Show, has built
her celebrity into a sizeable media empire under the banner of her
private company, Harpo Entertainment. Named as one of the 100 Most
Influential People of the 20th Century by Time magazine, Winfrey’s
influence extends well beyond her financial reach and viewership
numbers. Her relationship with her audience at once embodies fanatical
loyalty and casual intimacy, making Winfrey perhaps the public figure
with the most profound affect on the lives of those who watch her show.
|
| Whitman, Margaret C. |
Since becoming Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
of pioneer online auctioneer eBay in 1998, Meg Whitman has masterminded
one of the most successful IPOs in history, guided the company’s
international expansion, and overseen continuing profitability and
expansion in the post-Internet bubble period. In the face of economic
recession and competitive challenges launched by Amazom.com, Yahoo!, and
Lycos, Whitman has sustained eBay’s leadership and, as a result, remains
the czarina of Net auctions. |
| Wright, Robert C. |
Robert C. Wright is the chairman and Chief
Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Broadcasting Company (NBC). He
was named to the head post when General Electric (GE) bought the Radio
Corporation of America (RCA), the previous owner of NBC. Wright is best
known for transforming NBC from a narrowly focused broadcast network to
a global media conglomerate. His tenure as NBC head has been the longest
since that of broadcast pioneer, David Sarnoff. Following the 2003
announcement that NBC would merge with Vivendi Universal Entertainment (VUE),
owner of Universal Pictures and the USA Network, Wright was appointed to
head the merged company, NBC Universal. |
| Yang, Jerry |
Jerry Yang is the young Taiwanese-born,
Stanford-educated co-founder and "Head-Yahoo" (his official title) of
Yahoo! Inc., purveyors of the Web’s most visited site, Yahoo.com. In
their own version of the iconic Silicon Valley success story, Yang and
Yahoo! co-founder David Filo were a couple of computer-obsessed college
students who spent late nights among stacks of pizza boxes working on an
original idea. Their efforts created a new institution, the Internet
portal, and earned billions for Yahoo!’s founders when the company’s
stock was taken public. |
|
Reproduced with deep appreciation from:
Top of page
The
People With The Endless Bios Introduction Page
The People With Endless Bios Page II
- Appendix B
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