Cablefax The Magazine - November 2014 - 41

Debi Picciolo
SVP, Residential
Technical Operations
Time Warner Cable
Picciolo is the highestranking
woman in technical
operations for Time
Warner Cable in a particularly visible area for the
company. She has managed to break through in
a traditionally male-dominated fi eld, overseeing
17,000 TWC employees who ultimately serve
the entire residential market for the company-
nearly 15 million customers. Among her key
strengths is her uncanny ability to quickly and
effi ciently assess a need and then formulate a
plan to address it, which is critical in a fast-paced
and dynamic industry. Does the TWC-Comcast
merger weigh heavily on her mind? Nah. " These
deals represent the evolution and changing face
of our industry-and change is what I love and
thrive on!, " she says.
Anna Tran Reyna
SVP, Business and
Legal Affairs, Digital
Media
Fox Cable Networks
One of Reyna's most
high-profi le responsibilities
includes managing Fox Networks Group's
participation in Dyle, the mobile digital TV
joint venture between Fox, NBCU and the
broadcast station groups known as Pearl 9.
She has extensive new media experience
both at Fox and elsewhere, and defi nes a
successful career as " being able to thrive in
an ever-changing environment. "
Vibha Rustagi
CEO
itass, a Cognizant
Company
Rustagi's mantra to itaas
employees is " exceed
expectations. " She lives
that mantra as well, whether it is getting on a
plane at a moment's notice or answering email
at 3 in the morning. She is also someone
who has a vision and never stops until that
vision is realized. According to Rustagi, RDK
(reference design kit) platform is an important
part of the industry's success now and into the
future. " While we still hear 'content is king,' it
Cablefax: The Magazine
is technology that delivers the content-and
because the consumer demands the content in
so many 'ways,' the technology must keep up
with the changing demand, " she says.
Margret Schmidt
Chief Design Officer
and VP of Design & Engineering, TiVo
This year Schmidt and her
team designed, built, and
shipped the new TiVo Roamio
Series5 DVR. This
software is currently
deployed with eight cable
operators in the U.S., and two in Europe. Her
design and engineering team is working on some
exciting new features for TiVo's DVR, IP-STB, iOS
& Android apps, and TiVo Everywhere web portal,
which are expected to create an even more
personal connection between cable customers
and the vast catalog of linear, on demand and
over-the-top video available to them. Integrating
Netfl ix into cable devices has been the biggest
story in cable this year, according to Schmidt.
Sandy Sexton
VP, Digital Ad Sales
Planning & Program
Management
Scripps Networks
Interactive
Sexton's priority for
2014-15 is replacing the ad server for mobile
and display with a new industry-leading ad
server, which will bring updates in functionality
for the digital ad sales team. These additions to
the technology stack will streamline processes
and provide additional productivity and intelligence
for the digital ad sales organization. In
addition, she continues to lead enhancements
to the organization's Salesforce software.
When she is not in the offi ce, she can be found
around the water, even in the winter. " I love
having a campfi re near the water. I even have
a special secret recipe for s'mores, " she says.
Veronica Sheehan
SVP, Global Network,
Technology and Studio
Operations
Turner Broadcasting
Sheehan is a change
leader, known for strateNovember
2014
gic leadership and insight, communicating vision
and driving continuous improvement and
collaboration across Turner. She is also known
among peers for her kind and openly honest
demeanor. Sheehan has successfully led the
global teams that provide 24/7/365 technical,
operational and production support for Turner
Broadcasting's entertainment; animation and
young adult; and sports media environments
on television and other digital platforms.
Ingrid Simunic
Senior Director,
Product Management
Time Warner Cable
Many cable execs are well
educated, but Dr. Simunic
takes it to a new level.
She received both an MBA and a Doctorate in
Philosophy in Business and Marketing from the
University of Economics in Bratislava, Slovakia.
She also has an MBA from the City University of
Seattle. Since she began managing TWC's digital
home phone products in 2005, home phone
customer base has grown from approximately
500,000 to more than 4.3 million with nearly $2
billion in annual revenues and growing. She also
helped found the company's Women's Collective
group, " with the mission to help women develop
as leaders by empowering them with the tools for
professional and personal growth. "
Lauri Smith
Executive Director,
Field Operations
Planning & Analysis
Comcast Cable
Promoted this year
to senior director of
technical operations, planning and analysis,
Smith now oversees standardizing call service
reporting across the Comcast footprint, as well
as the company's technical operations application
that incorporates work order data, internal
trouble-shooting, multiple network monitoring
and other automation tools. She also added
supervision over cross-functional teams to determine
what measurement is needed for new
product deployment. A 33-year industry veteran,
Smith is active with SCTE, WICT and Cable Tec
Games. Of participation in the latter, she says,
" I especially loved the techs that maybe didn't
do so well the fi rst time, coming back year after
year and doing better and better. "
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