Colin Lovrinovic

 

Colin Lovrinovic is an Australian/German serial entrepreneur with a passion for new technology in media (and in general) – and having fun while making the world a more interesting place.

He is Managing Director at Gould Finch, the next generation data-driven management consulting firm that focuses on digital evolution and transformation across various industries. They work in holistic teams made up from industry experts, consultants, scientists and young talents – backed by innovative AI solutions.

Gould Finch has worked with a number of clients from the international publishing industry on projects including strategy, innovation and implementation of new technology.

Prior to Gould Finch, Colin worked for companies such as Amazon, Apple, Universal and Bastei Lübbe – one of Germany’s largest trade publishers. And successfully (and unsuccessfully) started companies in the digital media space.

He holds an MBA from Mannheim Business School, as well as an M.A. in Creative Industries Management and is an active member of the German Federal Association of Artificial Intelligence.

Fun fact: J.K. Rowling once wrote about a project Colin managed in one of her books. (No, not in Harry Potter).

Chris Beer

«With each new breakthrough in tech comes new ways of engaging with the world – but also new platforms for old habits. Balancing groundbreaking technology and trends with established human traits is key to unlocking the best future for consumers and content creators».

 

Chris Beer is a Senior Trends Analyst at GlobalWebIndex, a market research company running the world’s largest ongoing survey on the digital consumer. He analyses this rich dataset, alongside other material, to uncover the latest trends and insights in media and beyond. In a past life, he worked as a production manager for an audiobook production company.

Cigdem Aker

 

«Seizing the digital and technological opportunities is much easier, when we join forces internationally».

 

Cigdem Aker is head of strategy and innovation at the German Publishers and Booksellers Association (Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels e.V.). With initiatives like the international CONTENTshift accelerator she pursues the aim to push the boundaries of publishing and to enable the book industry to adapt to the digital age. Prior to that she was working in different positions at German publishing houses like Holtzbrinck ePublishing, Zeitverlag, Wiley-VCH and the digital publishing specialist Bookwire.

Shweta Khurana

 

With passion for the WORD and belief that content always opens windows into new world of knowledge, She has been into editing, content creation and marketing for more than 14 years.

Shweta Khurana is Editor at All About Book Publishing Magazine in India -. A bi-monthly trade journal exclusively dedicated to Publishing and a vital source of knowledge and insight into India’s dynamic & robust Publishing world. http://www.allaboutbookpublishing.com/

She has been actively involved with Publishers on Publishing: Inside India’s Book Business- a one-of-a-kind book on the Indian Publishing business with 65 Contributors from Publishing and Allied Fields and  covers the Key Drivers in Indian Publishing.

https://www.smediagroup.in/publishers-on-publishing/

Brian O’Leary

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«Boundaries are expanding, with more titles, new formats, new business models, and more surfing and sampling. Publishers are working to respond to what’s new, but how can they more reliably prepare for what’s next?»

 

Brian O’Leary is executive director of the Book Industry Study Group, a U.S. trade association that disseminates information, creates and implements standards, and conducts research to benefit the book publishing supply chain. Before being named to this role in 2016, O’Leary was principal of Magellan Media Consulting, which helped publishers improve how they create, manage and distribute content. In that role, O’Leary wrote extensively about issues affecting the publishing industry. With Hugh McGuire, he co-edited Book: A Futurist’s Manifesto (O’Reilly Media, 2012). Before that, O’Leary served as senior VP with Hammond Inc. and oversaw production and distribution operations at several Time Inc. magazines. O’Leary earned an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and holds an A.B. in chemistry from Harvard College.

Shane Ennis

 

Shane is the Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer for Noa, leading the company’s presence across Mobile, Web, Smart Speakers & Connected Cars.

 

Noa have partnered with some of the world’s best news publishers to offer professionally narrated journalistic articles on a single platform. Our content can be found on Mobile, Web, Smart Speakers and Connected Cars, and includes articles from The New York Times, Financial Times, Bloomberg, The Economist, The Irish Times, and more.

Yuria Mizuta 

A manga aficionado and General Affairs Executive Director of VIZ Media Europe Group which handles Japanese manga and animation properties from initial production, television placement, distribution, merchandise licensing and promotions for consumers of ALL ages. An art historian, advertising agent, and quadrilingual (English, French, Italian & Japanese), Yuria has been a press attaché, webdesigner, art curator, fashion designer and held positions at the Italian Cultural Institute, Fondation Cartier pour l’Art Contemporain, Orsay Museum, Vitra and Issey Miyake. She lived in Italy, Japan, US, UK and is currently a visual artist based in Paris.

Ashleigh Gardner

Deputy General Manager, Wattpad Studios, Publishing at Wattpad

Creates meaningful promotional and editorial partnerships with the publishing, advertising, and entertainment industries.

Before joining Wattpad, Ashleigh was director of content management at Kobo, where she focused on expanding Kobo’s existing catalogue, while developing new ebook stores in international markets.

Silvia Bianchi

A graduate in Semiotics, Silvia has more than ten years of experience in the fields of communication, creative direction, art curation and education. She is responsible for creating the editorial process of Freeda and managing the creative talents of the media company in Spain.

She has been curating Libros Mutantes Madrid Art Book Fair since 2011 and festivals about new technologies and arts & crafts, including the Alhajadú Kids Festival in Madrid in 2013 and 2014. She has a broad experience on lectures about self-publishing including events like New York Art Book Fair at MoMA PS1, Los Angeles Art Book fair at The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, Encuentro de editores at Mexico D. F. and Guadalajara or Sprint Art Book Fair in Milan.

“Freeda’s mission is to use business to spread real women stories that inspire positive change. We believe rethinking the creative process behind the content distribution is fundamental to address millennials taking into account the tools and platforms they are on»

Piero Attanasio

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Author’s right is freedom

After a degree in economics at the University of Bologna, Piero has been working in book publishing since 1986. In 1995 he joined AIE (Italian Publishers Association) where he is currently director of international affairs and R&D programmes and coordinates the activities of the academic publishing group. He is CEO of mEDRA (multilingual European DOI Registration Agency) and member of the Board of the Fondazione LIA, which provides services to enhance accessibility of ebooks for visually impaired people.
He has been the scientific director of the ARROW projects (www.arrow-net.eu), the leading European initiative to facilitate right information management in digital library programmes. He is member of the Board of the Federation of European Publishers, of the Executive committee of the ISBN International Agency, where he served as chair since 2006 to 2012, of the Membership Committee of the International Publishers Association, and the advisory board of the P&R Foundation. He was also board member of Editeur and of the International DOI Foundation and chaired the Standard and Technology Committee of the IPA.
He is author of many articles and two monographs about book industry, in particular about the impact of technologies on book trade and rights management in digital environment. He is lecturer in the Master course on publishing at the University of Milan.