Cablefax The Magazine September 2023 - 16

D&I
CHAMPION
Conde has been a force at NBCUniversal
who continues to take
on more responsibilities. In July, his
role expanded to include Telemundo
Enterprises and NBCUniversal Local,
which encompasses 43 NBC/Telemundo
stations across the country.
The challenge of juggling multiple
businesses hasn't lessened his
commitment to DEI. " As the largest
Cesar Conde
Chairman
NBCUniversal News Group
news organization in the country,
serving national and local audiences
in both English and Spanish, we
have an incredible opportunity to set
the industry standard with a diverse
workplace in all its forms and reflect
all the communities that we serve, "
he says.
Conde, the first Hispanic leader of a
major English language news organization,
took the position of News
Group Chairman in 2020. One of his
first acts was to launch the " 50%
Challenge, " which aspires to reflect
the audiences served by increasing
diversity in the news team. An important
component was the creation
of journalism training program NBCU
Academy, which now partners with
45 academic institutions serving
diverse populations, providing $8.5
million in funding to prepare students
for a career in journalism.
" We've made great progress across
NBC News, CNBC, MSNBC and NBC
News NOW, but there is always more
work to do, " Conde says. " This is an
ongoing commitment to reflect the
audiences we serve. It is essential
that we continue building trust with
our audiences by reflecting who they
are by gender, by race, by geography,
by socioeconomic background and
by diversity of perspective. "
When Conde reflects on those
who've made an impact on his career,
he credits his parents for teaching
his brothers and him to dream big,
work hard and stay humble. He considers
late Secretary of State Colin
Powell, whom he served under as
White House Fellow, one of the great
leaders of our time. " He taught me
the importance of moral clarity, vision
and courage-most importantly
doing the right thing, even if it's hard, "
Conde says.
He seems to have learned those
lessons well, with City College of
New York presenting Conde with
the inaugural Colin L. Powell Distinguished
Leadership Award earlier
this year for his professional accomplishments
and dedication to raising
others up. Linda Powell presented
the award, saying, " Cesar Conde is a
visionary and innovative leader who
has dedicated his career to shaping
the future of media and empowering
diverse voices in the industry. He has
made it his mission to create a more
inclusive and representative media
landscape. "
Kayla French
VP, Marketing Operations
Buckeye Broadband
THE WHY: French has led marketing efforts to help subscribers access the
Affordable Connectivity Program, bringing tens of thousands of homes in Buckeye's
service areas into the internet subsidy program. She also helped establish
a texting system to facilitate faster bill pay and improve communications and
customer support. An active member in several organizations, including WICT,
the National Black MBA Association and Links, she is committed to diversity and
inclusion efforts throughout the industry.
SHE SAYS... " We need to continue to widen our pool of candidates and rethink roles that may be just as effective
remotely to appeal to a younger demographic and candidates that live out of our area. "
WHO DO YOU VIEW AS A DEI CHAMPION? My mother was a DEI champion way before it was talked
about. Throughout her career as an African American woman, she was the first woman to lead a medical staff in
her state and only the second woman to graduate from her medical school. Because of the many obstacles she
faced, it fueled her intensity as a tireless promoter of diversity in the medical field and as a university professor.
16
September 2023
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