Manchester is extremely busy during December due to large city centre events so make sure you book your accommodation in advance to avoid disappointment as accommodation is limited. We have a range of hotels available to suit every budget and booking your preferred option is made very easy through our dedicated booking site.

If you have any accommodation queries please contact:

Visit Manchester Accommodation Booking Team
+44 (0)161 238 4563/4514
email: abs@visitmanchester.com

TWITTER FEEDS

Thomas Grond

Head of Young Audiences, EBU

"Everybody knows that children are the future of our society and should be treated well and with respect. Nevertheless media organisations producing content for children are very often under severe financial and political pressure. This is why it is so important to have the best informed and educated people working within children's media. And what better place to get lots of new information than the Children's Global Media Summit?"

And here a shorter version for Twitter: "Children's media suffer under financial and political pressure. This is why events like the #CGMS17 are so important to bring professionals together to exchange ideas, best practice and inspiration."

Yassmin Abdel-Magied

Official Title - Author, Engineer, Social Advocate

Biography

Yassmin Abdel-Magied is a mechanical engineer, award winning social advocate, author and broadcaster. A Sudanese-born Muslim woman, she was named the 2015 Queensland Young Australian of the Year and released her memoir, Yassmin’s Story, a year later at the age of 24. Yassmin advocates for the empowerment of youth, women and those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. She founded the non-for-profit Youth Without Borders at age 16. Outside advocacy, she works as an engineer on offshore gas rigs and is an internationally accredited F1 journalist.

Steven Graham DeNure

President and Chief Operating Officer

Biography

Steven Graham DeNure, President and Chief Operating Officer of DHX, is responsible for overseeing overall operations of DHX and its subsidiaries. Mr. DeNure also serves as Executive Producer on many of the Company’s television and interactive media projects. Mr. DeNure co-founded Decode Entertainment in 1997 and in 2006 merged the operations of Decode with Halifax Film to create DHX. Prior to founding Decode Mr. DeNure was at Alliance Communications Corporation for more than 10 years and served in a number of senior positions including President of Alliance Productions and President of Alliance Multimedia. During his tenure at Alliance Communications Corporation, he was involved in the development, financing and production of all television and feature film projects, including notable projects such as Due South, North Of 60, Eng, and Blackrobe, and was responsible for the animation division, music-publishing division (TMP), and for merchandising and licensing. Mr. DeNure is a pioneer in computer generated imagery animation, having acted as Executive Producer of the groundbreaking Reboot and Beast Wars animation series. Mr. DeNure serves on the board of the Canadian Film Centre as Vice Chair. Mr. DeNure graduated from Simon Fraser University with a BA in Economics & Business Administration.

Steven Bartlett

CEO, The Social Chain Group

Biography

Steven is the newly appointed 25-year-old CEO of The Social Chain Group. The Social Chain Group delivers annual revenues in excess of 100m and consists of over 20 companies within Marketing, Media, Commerce, and Technology. Steven founded two of the flagship companies within the group; Social Chain and Media Chain. Social Chain is now Europe’s leading social marketing agency working with brands such as Coca Cola, Apple, FIFA and Warner Music. Media Chain is one of the largest media owners in the world, reaching billions of people online every month. Steve is now an established speaker, investor and was recently named the most influential young entrepreneur in the industry

Obie Scott Wade

Show Creator, SheZow!

"We are in the middle of a social emergency. Recent studies have proven that enforcing rigid gender roles in young children can lead to greater risk of mental health issues, depression, and suicide. We as content creators have and must continue to present media that demonstrates how being unique enriches and informs a cohesive society. This goes far beyond the word, “tolerance,” which to me simply means, “putting up with.”Children deserve to feel safe being themselves in a world that embraces all the ways of being human. Now. That’s why I’m here. I know for a fact that we make a difference and I am proud to be part of Children’s Global Media Summit 2017."

Biography

A background in media, fine art, and science has afforded Wade the opportunity to help shape the children’s media landscape on screens of all types and sizes.A creator of TV and internet shows, (SheZow, Julius & Friends) and writer for (Kuukuu Harajuku, We’re Lalaloopsy), Wade also serves as Experience Architect in the creation of groundbreaking interactive children’s museum experiences (Intellizeum, ImaginationPlayground, Space Center Bremen.) Wade’s pan-media creative perspective led to his appointment to INTER, a research-based think tank, funded by the U.S. Department of Labor, tasked with the agenda of developing a national curriculum that teaches creative thinking and innovation skills. In addition, Wade is the author of children's books, The Puzzle Place and Oddry.When Wade isn’t busy creating, he is actively involved in fundraising for organisations that improve the lives of children, including Safe & Sound, Stand Up for Kids, and the Casa Youth Shelter in Los Alamitos, CA.

Mikkel B. Rasmussen

Co-founder ReD Associates and director of its European practice

“I am very excited about participating in Children’s Global Media Summit in Manchester. The timing of the theme “unlimited” couldn’t be better. I have spent the last 15 years studying the role of play and creativity in childrens' lives. The last few years I have noticed a sharp shift in what it means to play and what role it has in how children grown and learn. We live in a time with an unlimited access to media and endless possibilities for play and creativity. But we also live in a time where digital play comes with social regulation and can limit other forms of play. Social media is no longer separated from play or toys. The way children interact with social media is perhaps the biggest social experiment the world has ever seen.The summit gives us a chance to press the pause button and discuss some fundamental issues around how we want this social experiment to turn out.”

Biography

Mikkel B. Rasmussen co-founded ReD Associates and serves as the director of its European practice, working closely with the top management of Europe’s most forward-looking companies. The best ideas, according to Mikkel, come from a true interest in the real world and a deep exploration into human behavior. His work as a specialist in innovation strategy for both the public and private sector has led to disruptive technologies and products in the markets for — among much else — toys, sports goods, and health care. Mikkel is also a well-known keynote speaker and provocateur — and has delivered hundreds of keynotes around the world reflecting on innovation, business creativity, and the practical use of social science. In 2014, he co-authored the book “The Moment of Clarity,” published by Harvard Business Review Press. He holds a Masters of Science in Economics from Maastricht University, as well as a Master in Public Economics from Roskilde University.

Lucy Murphy

Head of Kids Content, Sky UK & ROI

Biography

Lucy was appointed Sky’s first Head of Kids Content in 2015. She is responsible for all of Sky’s on demand kids content, a library which recently saw the number of episodes available grow from 700 to 4,500 episodes, as well as overseeing the launch of Sky’s new kids app. At Sky Lucy has commissioned new kids shows including Aliens Love Underpants And... produced by Tiger Aspect , new episodes of Morph from Aardman and a range of games and interactive content for the Sky Kids app. Lucy has over 20 years of experience in developing and producing shows for children’s and family audiences. Lucy has worked on over 500 episodes ofchildren’s shows ranging from Horrid Henry, The Gruffalo and Aardman’s Tate Movie Project. Lucy has also provided strategic and creative consultancy for a diverse slate of clients from small indies to major international media groups. Prior to joining Sky Lucy was Creative Director and Head of Content at Azoomee, a UK video on demand platform. Lucy also worked at Acamar Films where she developed, co-wrote and exec-produced hit CBeebies show Bing Bunny.

James Steyer

Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Common Sense Media

Biography

James Steyer is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Common Sense Media, the nation's leading independent non-profit organisation dedicated to creating a powerful voice for kids and families in the 21st century. He is also the Co-Founder and Chairman of the Center for the Next Generation, as well as the author of Talking Back to Facebook and The Other Parent: The Inside Story of the Media’s Effect on our Children. Jim is an award-winning Consulting Professor at Stanford University, where he has taught popular courses on civil rights, civil liberties, and education for 25 years. He appears regularly on national television and radio programs as an expert commentator and children’s advocate. Last, but most importantly, he’s a dad of four great kids.

Gonzalo Frasca

CDO DragonBox / Universidad ORT

Gonzalo Frasca 'In education, the opposite of being bored is not to have fun but to be challenged. As game designers, we know that fun is not a goal to reach but the consequence of facing a problem that is neither too easy nor too hard. That's why at DragonBox we teach school math through storytelling and videogames. We do not aim at making math easy: we make it challenging through videogames that are not obvious and require collaboration and repeated failure. At the end of the class, most kids feel like the math lesson was easy but that's because they had active participation in figuring it out. During the Summit we will be presenting how we are teaching math in schools in Finland, Norway and France through videogames and storytelling. We start every lesson with questions – sometimes even ambiguous questions that help kids to focus more on discerning relevant data rather than
searching for a single right answer. "

Biography

Gonzalo Frasca, PhD, is Chief Design Officer at DragonBox, the Norwegian pedagogy studio that creates the acclaimed series of learning math videogames. In the last two decades, Frasca has combined academic research on games and rhetoric with professional game development for companies such as Pixar, Disney, Cartoon Network, WB and Lucasfilm. A former journalist, Frasca is also known as the creator of the newsgame genre –videogames based on current events– for which he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from G4C and the Knight Foundation.

David Levine

General Manager, Disney Channels UK&I, Vice President, Programming, Production, Disney Channels EMEA

Biography

Vice President, Programming, Production and Strategic Development Disney Channels Europe, Middle East and Africa, & General Manager, Disney Channels UK & Ireland David Levine is Vice President, Programming, Production and Strategic Development, Disney Channels EMEA, and General Manager, Disney Channels UK & Ireland.

As Vice President, he is responsible for all strategic and operational aspects of Programming across Disney Channels EMEA, including the development of the linear and multi-platform programming strategy. David is responsible for the direction of original production and overseeing the development and production slates of originally produced content, acquisitions and co-productions. He has developed and commissioned Emmy-nominated Evermoor, First Class Chefs, The Evermoor Chronicles, and The Lodge.

As General Manager of Disney Channels UK & Ireland, David leads a team that utilises theseiskey platforms to drive familiarity and awareness for the Disney brands and content, through key partnerships with Sky Broadcasting, Virgin Media and more. David joined Disney in March 2004, serving multiple roles in US Programming, Worldwide Programming and Channel GM. Prior to Disney, David worked for Ragdoll USA as Vice President Business Affairs and Development.

Chris Mead

Senior Director of Partnerships, EMEA

Biography

Chris Mead is Twitch's Senior Director of Partnerships for EMEA, where he works with broadcasting partners from individuals to developers, publishers, and organizations. Chris’s expertise lies in digital advertising and esports, having competed professionally in Call of Duty tournaments in 2008-2012. Prior to joining Twitch, he worked for a digital agency in London, acquired an M.A. in New Media from the University of Amsterdam, and a B.A. in Liberal Arts and Sciences from the University of Utrecht.

Beth Carmona

Content and Development Director, comKids

Biography

Beth Carmona is an experienced and respected professional in the area of children's media in Brazil and Latin America, with more than 20 years of working in the field. Today she is leading her own company, Singular Media, offering consultancy and working with development of children’s media projects. She is also responsible for ComKids, a regular platform that promotes quality content (www.comkids.com.br) and for PJ Iberoamericano’s Festival (in its 6th edition), that celebrates the Latin Americanproduction. She is coordinator of ALA -Alianza Latin Americana and President of the Midiativa ngo that runs projects for kids. In the broadcast and media industry, she worked for TV Cultura and TVE, public channels in Brazil, and also for Discovery Kids Latin America (in Miami, US) and Disney Channel . With experience in programming and production, she has also a worldwide presence in the discussion about quality media for kids, taking part in international juries, competitions, and awards as Prix Jeunesse International, Japan Prize, Emmy International and Latin festivals in Uruguay, Cuba, Colombia,Argentina and Chile. She is member of PRIX JEUNESSE International Advisory Board.

Baroness Beeban Kidron OBE

Founder, 5Rights / Filmmaker

“What is the point of having a technology that is so immensely powerful and pervasive if it is not put to good use? Our children should not be rats in the lab of Silicon Valley. Unless we consider their development needs, and use technology in ways that supports and enhances their ability to meet those needs, without compromise or cynicism, we will rob them of their childhood. This is an incredibly powerful time of change - it is our role to make sure that that power is harnessed in a way that empowers young people. We need to deliver on the promise that this technology would be a force for good...not commercial oppression and a loss of childhood”.

Biography

Baroness Beeban Kidron is a British filmmaker who has spent over 35 years working in film, television and documentary. Her films include Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit; Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason and InRealLife. Kidron is the co-founder of the charity Into Film, which uses film to educate school children, with over 17,000 film clubs in UK schools. In 2012 she was appointed as a Crossbench Peer in the House of Lords. Baroness Kidron is the Founder of 5Rights; a campaign to deliver the established rights of children in the digital world, and is working to create technological solutions to support young people to be creative and informed in the digital environment. Kidron is a member of; the Children’s Commissioner’s Taskforce Growing Up Digital, The Royal Foundation Taskforce on Cyberbullying, and a Commissioner on the UN Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development.

Alice Webb

Director, BBC Children’s & BBC North

Biography

Alice is responsible for the UK's two most popular networks for our youngest audiences, CBeebies and CBBC, along with their associated websites, YouTube channels, apps and radio stations. In September 2015, she launched the BBC's Big Digital Plan for Children, outlining how the corporation will keep pace with the rapidly changing way in which children consume content. This was followed by the launch of a dedicated children's iPlayer app in April 2016. The BBC is the leading children's broadcaster in the UK, investing huge amounts in home grown content that reflects all of its audience. Among its top shows are the BAFTA award-winning Katie Morag, Tilly and the Ramsay Bunch, The Dumping Ground, Justin's House, Danger Mouse, Wolfblood, Blue Peter, Newsround, The Clangers and Horrible Histories. Based in Salford since 2011, BBC Children's commissions programmes from independent producers and in-house departments. There is also a strong Children's base at BBC Scotland in Glasgow. Originally Alice was a charted civil engineer – working on large scale engineering projects in the UK and overseas.Alice supports a range of external organisations. She is a member of the Royal Foundation's Cyberbullying Taskforce and a Trustee of BBC Children in Need and the Greater Manchester Art Centre (HOME).She lives in the North West with her family.

Andy Yeatman

“As we undergo yet another revolution in new ways that children consume content, the topics being discussed at the summit could not be more relevant and important. At Netflix we are proud to be a part of this revolution, bringing content from across the globe to children everywhere. We look forward to a great discussion.”

Biography
Andy Yeatman leads the kids & family programming team for Netflix globally, covering all original and licensed content for kids age 2-12. Prior to this role, he acquired Major Studio film and television content for Netflix’s North America service. Andy joined Netflix in 2011, helping to launch its service internationally. Before joining Netflix, Andy worked in Digital Distribution for The Walt Disney Studios.

In that role, he negotiated movie distribution deals with digital platforms such as iTunes, Sony Playstation Network and Microsoft Xbox for a number of territories, including the US, Canada, Mexico, Japan and Korea.

Andy holds an MBA in Strategy and Entertainment Management from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management and an International Relations degree from Tufts University.

Vicki Shotbolt

Vicki Shotbolt is the founder and CEO of Parent Zone, an organisation that works with schools, young people and parents to ensure families are able to navigate the challenges of the online world and benefit from all the opportunities it provides.

As an executive board member of the UK Council for Child Internet Safety and co-chair of the UKCCIS Digital Resilience working group, Vicki leads a team that reaches millions of families every year. Their Digital Schools Programme delivers an innovative resilience based digital curriculum working with schools around the world.

Parent Zone created and distributes Digital Parenting magazine, delivering 1.5 million copies a year to schools free of charge. They also deliver Parent Info – the UK’s national newsfeed service for schools delivering information for parents via school websites on all of the issues caused or amplified by the internet.

Vicki is a fellow of the RSA and regular commentator in the media.

Richard Scudamore

“New technology allows us to create content that is relevant and accessible, from match day through to work our clubs do in their communities. The Children’s Media Summit will be a great forum, bringing global organisations together to explore what the future holds for children’s media and identifying policies that need to be developed. I look forward to being involved in the discussion.”

Biography
Richard Scudamore is Executive Chairman of the Premier League, the most watched football league in the world. He is accountable for all elements of the league’s operations and his core responsibilities include regulatory, legal and political matters, and the sale of broadcasting and central commercial rights across 225 international markets.

Richard joined the Premier League in 1999 as Chief Executive. Under his leadership the organisation has and continues to use the strong platform provided by its 20 Member Clubs to successfully increase interest in the competition, grow revenues in the UK and internationally, and invest in and support football development at all levels of the sport.

Richard is a Founding Trustee of the Football Foundation – a charity funded by the Premier League, The FA, and the UK Government which has built over 500 artificial grass football pitches for community use, and improved thousands of existing sports facilities across the UK.

Andreas Schleicher

“Great technology will never replace poor teaching, but technology can hugely amplify great teaching and help ensure that all students have access to excellent teaching.”

Biography
Andreas Schleicher is Director for Education and Skills, and Special Advisor on Education Policy to the Secretary-General at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). As a key member of the OECD’s Senior Management team, he supports the Secretary-General’s strategy to produce analysis and policy advice that advances economic growth and social progress. In addition to policy and country reviews, he oversees the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), the OECD Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC), the OECD Skills Strategy, the OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS), and the development and analysis of benchmarks on the performance of education systems (INES).

Before joining the OECD, Mr. Schleicher was Director for Analysis at the International Association for Educational Achievement (IEA). He studied Physics in Germany and received a degree in Mathematics and Statistics in Australia. He is the recipient of numerous honours and awards, including the “Theodor Heuss” prize, awarded in the name of the first president of the Federal Republic of Germany for “exemplary democratic engagement”. He holds an honorary Professorship at the University of Heidelberg.

Aaron Haroon Rashid

CEO, Unicorn Black, Creator of Burka Avenger

“A Summit like this is more important than ever considering the huge influence children’s shows can have.
I am very excited to attend and showcase Burka Avenger, one of Asia’s most popular indigenous superheroes. “

Biography
Haroon is an award winning director, producer, social-activist, and singer/composer. As a music star in Pakistan he has a fan following in the millions. Haroon is the creator and director of the hugely successful and internationally acclaimed multi award winning Pakistani Animated TV Series the Burka Avenger.

Burka Avenger is Pakistan’s first ever animated TV series and has won several major international awards including the following:

–   Peabody Award Winner (New York)
–   Int’l Gender Equity Prize at Prix Jeunesse (Munich)
–   Asian Media Awards: Best TV Show (Manchester)
–   Canada Int’l Film Festival:Rising Star Award (Vancouver)
–   Award of Merit – Accolades Global Film Competition

The animated TV series features Jiya as the inspirational school teacher and her alter ego, the super-heroine Burka Avenger. Her use of books and pens as projectile weapons is symbolic on many levels. The Burka Avenger fights for Justice, Peace and Education for all. Each episode focuses on a separate social message such as gender equity, free and fair elections, anti-discrimination, importance of education for girls. These messages are wrapped in action, comedy and adventure.
Throughout his successful music career Haroon has regularly produced songs and videos with socially conscious messages. He has sold over five million albums worldwide and the audience at his shows often number in the tens of thousands.
Haroon is the co-founder of Pakistan’s All Music Performers Pakistan Society (AMPPS) which focuses on rights for musicians. Haroon is also a board member of Pakistan Copyright Board, working closely with IPO Pakistan (Intellectual Property Organization of Pakistan) and WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) to help set up Pakistan’s first royalty collection organization. Recently Haroon launched Pakistan’s first of its kind digital content delivery platform called Taazi.com that aims to combat piracy in a country where music and movies have a piracy rate of 100%. Taazi.com.

Prof Sugata Mitra

“We are all very nervous about children with smart phones. The Internet with social media enables them to know just about anything. We, adults, don’t like that and go into denial.
We must learn to understand that they are in their time, unlike any we have known. We cannot afford to live comfortably in our past anymore. We need to go with them. They will show us the way. This Summit is important.”

Biography
Sugata Mitra is Professor and Principal Research Investigator at the School of Education, Communication and Language Sciences at Newcastle University, UK.
He conducted the Hole in the Wall (HIW) experiment, where in 1999 a computer was embedded within a wall in an Indian slum at Kalkaji, Delhi and children were allowed to freely use it. The experiment was aimed at proving that kids could be taught computers very easily without any formal training. Sugata termed this as Minimally Invasive Education (MIE).
His interests include Children’s Education, Remote Presence, Self-organising systems, Cognitive Systems, Physics and Consciousness. He is a PHD in Physics credited with more that 25 inventions in the area of cognitive science and educational technology. He was conferred the prestigious Dewang Mehta Award from the Government of India for Innovation in Information Technology in the year 2003. Amongst many other awards, he was awarded the 1 million dollar TED Prize in 2013. With this he was able to create The School in the Cloud. The School in the Cloud brings together Self Organised Learning Environments (SOLES).
The Hole in the Wall experiment has left a mark on popular culture. Indian diplomat Vikas Swarup read about Mitra’s experiment and was inspired to write his debut novel that went on to become the Oscar winning movie ‘Slumdog Millionaire’.

Peter Salmon

“The world has moved on since the days early in my career where I grappled with sticky backed plastic and eggs boxes working on Blue Peter, but the importance of the media, the power of brands and the need for well-funded, high quality content for children has not. I am excited to be part of this event in Manchester and as the BBC prepares to ramp up its investment in children’s services, the timing couldn’t be better.”
Peter Salmon is a highly experienced programme maker and commissioner, holding numerous leadership positions in broadcasting and production in a career spanning over 30 years. Peter currently leads Endemol Shine’s producers, championing ideas and programme makers, supporting the rollout of content internationally across linear and digital platforms from The USA to Israel, Australia to Scandinavia. In addition, he has overall responsibility for the UK group, which is made up of more than 20 production companies and labels ranging from Kudos to Initial, Tiger Aspect to Remarkable, Shine TV to Dragonfly.
Prior to joining Endemol Shine Peter established and ran BBC North, the 3,000 strong BBC production base near Manchester and was Director of BBC England before becoming Director of BBC Studios, responsible for establishing and managing the new production division.

Alex Okosi

Alex Okosi is the driving force behind Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) Africa, home to Viacom’s powerhouse entertainment brands MTV Base, MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., NickToons, VH1 Classic‎ and BET on the African continent.
An 18-year veteran of the entertainment industry on 3 continents, with a broad background in marketing, affiliate sales, events, strategy and management, Okosi achieved a personal and industry milestone when he launched MTV Base, MTV’s 100th channel internationally, and Africa’s first bespoke MTV channel on 22 February 2005. His tenacity and belief in Africa soon paid significant dividends. VIMN Africa has become Viacom’s fastest growing international operation in terms of revenue growth – thanks to the rapid expansion of its footprint across Africa as a multi-portfolio brand distributed on multiple platforms including pay-TV, FTA, internet, SVOD and mobile platforms. Now in its thirteenth year, VIMN Africa delivers more channels to Africa than any other international network. Its collective footprint reaches 52 territories and more than 100 million viewers.
Appointed Senior Vice President and Managing Director of VIMN Africa in July 2007, Okosi’s association with the company goes back to 1998 when he joined the sponsorship development and trade marketing team in New York, before becoming part of the MTV Networks Affiliate Sales and Marketing division in Los Angeles in 2000. By mid-2003, Okosi had transferred to MTV Networks International’s Strategy and Business Development team in London where he developed the business plan for MTV’s expansion into Africa and, in 2004, secured approval for the roll-out of Viacom’s localized play in Africa with the launch of MTV Base in 2005.
Okosi’s vision has always been to develop content and experiences for audiences that not only entertain and showcase the best of African music and entertainment, but also serve to socially empower audiences in Africa and around the world. As Africans, he believes, we have to keep living the mission of showing a “reimagined Africa” to the world. A tireless supporter of initiatives that motivate, empower and educate Africa’s youth, Okosi is recognized as an influential figure on the continent and was also named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2013.
Okosi managed the growth and development of the MTV Africa Music Awards (MAMA) – the largest celebration of African music and achievement on the continent. Launched in 2008, with an Africa reimagined narrative, the annual awards franchise has given top African artists a continental and international platform to raise their profiles. In 2015 he was instrumental in bringing the BET Experience to Africa for the first time. This successful BET franchise celebrates the rich and varied faces of the urban lifestyle experience under one roof.
Born in Nigeria, at the age of 12, Okosi moved to the US where he was educated at the Philips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire and attended St Michael’s College in Vermont on a full basketball scholarship before graduating magna cum laude with a double major in Business Administration and Economics.
In March 2017, Okosi was appointed to Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Viacom International Media Networks Africa. In July 2017, his role expanded to include oversight of BET in all markets outside of the US in capacity as Managing Director for BET International.
Okosi is based in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Tim Mckeon

Tim McKeon is a three-time Emmy winning writer. He is co-creator, head writer and showrunner for the live-action kids’ show Odd Squad, which just finished filming its eightieth half-hour. Other writing credits include Disney’s Gravity Falls, Cartoon Network’s Adventure Time and Amazon’s Will vs. The Future. Tim received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Massachusetts and spent his junior year abroad at The University of Manchester. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and son.

Anne Longfield OBE

“Digital technology and media in all its forms now play a core role in the everyday lives of children and young people across the globe and as Children’s Commissioner for England, I have made improving children’s rights in this space one of my key priorities.
In my recent report ‘Growing Up Digital’, I advocated for a shift away from a protectionist approach to one which empowers children to be active citizens in this fast developing world.
It is critical that all children, no matter what their circumstance, have equal opportunity to not only access digital media but to challenge and change it.
I want all children to be equipped with the knowledge and tools needed to be creator’s not just consumers and I look forward to exploring this further at the Children’s Global Media Summit.”

Biography
As Children’s Commissioner for England, Anne Longfield OBE, is tasked in law with working on behalf of all of England’s 12.5 million children and particularly those who face the most challenges and difficulties.
Anne is a passionate champion for children and a strong advocate of early intervention with over 30 years’ experience in developing, influencing and shaping the national policy agenda for, as well as leading the delivery of services to, children and families. Prior to taking up the post of Children’s Commissioner in 2015, she was Chief Executive of a national charity which ran ground-breaking services for children and families. Anne also worked in the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit in the Cabinet Office for a period of time.
Anne launched Growing Up North, in December 2016 to examine children’s aspirations and progression in the North. Growing Up North puts children at the heart of the regeneration debate looking at the opportunities and developments needed to help children realise their potential.

Cha Kil-yong

“The introduction of digital technology and artificial intelligence into mathematics will eliminate many of the problems that have arisen from the use of paper materials for many years. From now on, students will study less time and gain higher efficiency. I am confident that technology will almost completely solve the teacher shortage problem.”

Biography
Cha Kil-young is the CEO of both Sevenedu – a website selling mathematics lectures for middle and high school students – and Chamath – a mathematics franchise for elementary and junior high school students. He currently has about 3,500 offline students and more than 200 thousands of online students.
Cha became famous by combining lectures with entertainment elements such as cosplay so that students could learn math more enjoyably. Each year he works with renowned entertainers to support all students about to take the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test).
He has appeared on TV and radio many times in Korea as a mathematics star instructor. He delivers talks on his own specialised teaching methods and about the Korean education system to conferences in countries such as the UK, Japan, Spain and Australia.
Cha is also developing and distributing personalised math learning applications and he is interested in smart education using PC and mobile.

Tristia Harrison

Biography
Tristia is Chief Executive Officer of TalkTalk. Prior to this Tristia was the Managing Director of TalkTalk’s consumer business. Tristia joined The Carphone Warehouse Group in 2000 and has held a number of senior management and executive positions in The Carphone Warehouse and TalkTalk Group. She joined the PLC Board in 2014. Tristia is also a Trustee at Comic Relief and national charity Ambitious about Autism.

Tony Hall

"Nothing matters more than shaping a better, safer and more creative digital world for children. That’s why I’m really looking forward to the Summit – and all of us getting together to make a difference for generations to come"

Tony Hall – Lord Hall of Birkenhead – was appointed Director-General of the BBC on 22 November 2012. He is the 16th Director-General of the BBC.
Prior to this, Tony was Chief Executive of the Royal Opera House from April 2001 until April 2013.
He joined the BBC as a news trainee in 1973 and during a 28 year career at the Corporation he held roles including Senior Producer at World at One, Assistant Editor of the Nine O’Clock News, Output Editor for Newsnight, culminating as Chief Executive of BBC News from 1996 to 2001.
While at the BBC he launched Radio 5 live, BBC News 24, BBC News Online and BBC Parliament. He was Deputy Chairman of Channel 4 Television and he is a Trustee of the Paul Hamlyn Foundation and the Foundation Years Trust . Passionate about education and skills within the cultural industries, he was the founder Chair of Creative & Cultural Skills, Chairman of the Musical and Dance Scheme, Chair of Stratford East Theatre, and he was Chair of the Cultural Olympiad Committee and a member of the London Organising Committee for the 2012 Olympic Games.
He was appointed a CBE in 2005 and in 2010 was created a life peer with the title Baron Hall of Birkenhead. He sits on the Crossbenches in the House of Lords.

Dr Maya Göetz

“As a consequence of changing media usage habits, content and the way children consume it is changing. Many problems are new, but other areas of concern like gender stereotypes are widely known and are getting worse due to the large range of devices.
There is an urgent need for action in terms of content-related orientation for media professionals and this Summit will bring us an important step further in shaping the future of quality in children’s media.”

Biography
Maya Goetz, Ph.D., is Head of the International Central Institute for Youth and Educational Television (IZI) at the Bayerischer Rundfunk (Bavarian Broadcasting Corp.) Munich, Germany, and of the Prix Jeunesse Foundation.
Her main field of work is research in the area of children/youth and television and gender-specific reception research. She conducts empirical studies such as, “Gender representation in children’s TV and its meaning for girls and boys”, “Fear and nightmares from TV” or “What’s so funny?” and over 180 studies to foster quality in current TV programmes.
She published more than 240 articles and 13 books in the field of children, young people and television. She is married and is mother of two girls age 8 and 12 years.