Category: Events

JEGI LEONIS, in partnership with the sponsors below, hosted a special networking charity event at the restored Greens Ledge Lighthouse in Rowayton, CT. This 4th annual event brought together senior executives in CT and the broader NYC metro area. All proceeds went to the Greens Ledge Light Preservation Society, a 501(c)3 dedicated to restoring and preserving the historic Greens Ledge Lighthouse. To learn more about the efforts to save the lighthouse please visit https://savegreensledge.org/.

Founding Sponsors

Event Sponsors

21st Annual Conference
Resilience Redefined: Adapting to an Ever-Changing Landscape

Our 21st annual Media & Technology Conference was a preeminent, can’t-miss event for 600 senior executives across the media, marketing, information and technology sectors.

The theme of the conference this year was Resilience Redefined: Adapting to an Ever-Changing Landscape. Attendees heard intimate discussions from an array of world class leaders and executives who shared their experiences managing through today’s fast-paced and rapidly evolving landscape as well as their strategies for success in the year ahead.

2025 Conference Materials

Click Here for the 2025 Conference Program

Click Here for the 2025 Speaker Bios

2025 Conference Presentations

2025 Conference Speakers

Rohit Agarwal, Chief Executive Officer | The Weather Company

Paul Bascobert, President, Chief Executive | Reuters

Stephen Carter, Group Chief Executive | Informa

Ray Chao, SVP & General Manager of Audio & Video | Vox Media

Robert Dickey, Partner | Morgan Lewis

Taylor Dixon, Senior Vice President, Advisory Sales | Datasite

Patrick Donoghue, National Managing Principal, Corporate Finance & Transaction Advisory Services; Private Equity Industry Leader | BDO

Jeff Goldstein, Americas Leader of Technology, Media & Telecommunications, Partner & Managing Director | AlixPartners

Heather Holst-Knudsen, Founder & CEO | H2K Labs

Nathan Janick, Vice President | Shamrock Capital

Colin Morrison, Founder | Flashes & Flames

Chris Ripley, President & CEO | Sinclair

Justin Smith, Co-Founder & CEO | Semafor

Mark Solovy, Managing Director – Co-Head, Technology Finance; Head, Venture Debt | Monroe Capital

Sheila Spence, VP, Corporate Development | Spotify

Steve Swartz, President & CEO | Hearst

Ali Truwit, 2x Silver Medalist at the 2024 Paris Paralympics & Founder of Stronger Than You Think, Inc.

Andrey Vakhovskiy, Managing Director | H.I.G. Capital

We would like to thank our valued, blue-chip sponsors for supporting the event

JEGI CLARITY held its last Executive Leadership Dinner of 2024 on November 7th at the Pierre in New York starting at 6PM with cocktails. These events are structured as roundtable discussions and provide a stimulating evening of great conversation and networking.

This dinner, hosted in partnership with CIL and BDO, brought together 35 senior executives from the Digital Marketing Services industry. Attendees discussed trends affecting the industry, market conditions, M&A outlook and more, as outlined in the recent report we co-published with CIL. To download the report please visit: https://jegiclarity.com/jclglobal.com/jclglobal.com/u-s-digital-marketing-services-the-investment-opportunity/.

JEGI LEONIS, in partnership with the sponsors below, hosted a special networking charity event at the newly-restored Greens Ledge Lighthouse in Rowayton, CT. This 3rd annual event brought together senior executives in CT and the broader NYC metro area. All proceeds went to the Greens Ledge Light Preservation Society, a 501(c)3 dedicated to restoring and preserving the historic Greens Ledge Lighthouse. To learn more about the efforts to save the lighthouse please visit https://savegreensledge.org/.

Founding Sponsors

Event Sponsors

JEGI CLARITY held its first Executive Leadership Dinner of 2024 on July 24th at the Pierre in New York starting at 6PM with cocktails. These events are structured as roundtable discussions and provide a stimulating evening of great conversation and networking.

This Dinner was titled “The Opportunity in B2B Data & Information.” The roundtable discussion was led by Matt Reilly, President & CEO of Fusable, who shared his perspectives on the evolving B2B data landscape, the impact of AI on the industry, and trends affecting the market.

The Dinner brought together approximately 35 senior executives from a mix of large global corporations and emerging companies.

The 20th Anniversary Event
Two Decades of Exceptional Evolution

Our 20th Annual Media & Technology Conference was a preeminent, must-attend event for senior executives across the media, marketing, information and technology sectors.  Attendees heard intimate discussions from an array of world class business leaders and executives who shared their experiences managing through today’s fast-paced and rapidly evolving landscape as well as their strategies for success in the year ahead. Nearly 600 attendees joined us with a mixture of world-class founders and entrepreneurs, C-level executives and senior investment leaders creating an energized, vibrant and positive atmosphere once more.

Some of our key takeaways from the day include the following:

Entrepreneurial Spirit

Entrepreneurial Spirit panel hosted by Scott Peters, Co-Founder & Managing Partner of Growth Catalyst Partners, Bob Dethlefs, Founder & Former CEO of Evanta and Chairman of CyberRisk Alliance, and Doug Manoni, Founder & CEO of CyberRisk Alliance.

As we head into the Spring of 2024 the entrepreneurial spirit of the Founders we have worked with over the years has never been more apparent as companies have emerged from the pandemic with reimagined business models and an eye towards a future that brings both promise and uncertainty.

Human capital and board level cohesion has never been more important to a company’s long-term success.

AI and Digital Transformation

Value Creation with AI – Productivity vs. Growth panel hosted by Philipp Mueller, Chief Analyst and Product Officer of Outsell, Sejal Amin, Chief Technology Officer of Shutterstock, Nikesh Kalra, Chief Operating Officer of DeepMedia, and Ilya Meyzin, Head of Data Science at Dun & Bradstreet.

AI is seen as a disruptive and transformative force of nature across the tech enabled services landscape. Early adoption of this technology is not an option; rapid yet responsible deployment of a test and learn approach is widely seen as the optimal path forward. The complexity and variety of use cases for the technology creates opportunities for consultancies and digital transformation strategists who will chart the path forward.

Retail Media

Sector insights from JEGI CLARITY’s Bob Lockwood, Managing Director and Bob Berstein, Managing Director. 

Data is the fuel that drives innovation. First party data in a post cookie and privacy constrained world is essential. A major shift in power is underway between media companies and retailers as purchase data creates leverage with brand marketers and product manufacturers.

Retail Media has emerged as the hottest subsector in digital and opens the door to a more direct customer and retailer relationship. Omnicom’s recent $850M acquisition of Flywheel, a retail services platform, demonstrates this shift as well as the proliferation of Retail Media Networks that have taken market share in the past year. Walmart’s recent bid for Vizio, a CTV manufacturer with a media business is also a sign of retail’s aggressive move into media.

B2B Services

Sector insights from JEGI CLARITY’s Kathleen Thomas, Managing Director and Rich Kanefsky, Managing Director. 

The transformation of B2B is well underway resulting in the integration of customer touchpoints across the discover, learn, and buy continuum. Technology drives mass personalization, content engages and educates, and experiences provide amplification when integrated into the journey.

Media Landscape

Structural Changes in Advertising: Change is Good…But for Whom? panel hosted by John Rose, Managing Director & Senior Partner at BCG, and Bill Wise, Co-Founder & CEO of Mediaocean.

Google, Facebook, and Amazon dominate the digital media ecosystem, commanding 65% of digital spend in the U.S. The open market now represents about $14B in digital spend. CTV, online video, and YouTube combined represents $63B (now larger than the $60B linear broadcast market) and growing at a 20% CAGR. Building a business outside these walled gardens can be very difficult, but building capabilities inside them can be very rewarding.

Data Readiness

Unleashing Value: The Role of Data in Driving Premium M&A Transactions and Exits insights provided by Heather Holst-Knudsen, Founder & CEO of H2K Labs and Kerry Gumas, Founder & CEO of Metacomet Advisors.

M&A transactions can be complex and unpredictable but one important factor to be thinking about is “data readiness”; the idea here is to understand that a significant portion of your company’s value is determined by the strength of your business metrics, which includes: KPI’s, benchmarks, and of course financials.

Understanding how buyers value your business beyond the bottom-line and well in advance will always pay dividends down the road when it comes time to transact.

Talent

Fireside Chat focused on Culture, Talent and Driving Innovation, by Anthea Stratigos, Co-Founder & CEO of Outsell, and Gemma Postlethwaite, Chief Executive Officer of GLG.

In the face of global crises, organizations have honed their crisis management skills adeptly but have neglected long-term strategic planning. Employees want inspiration, clarity regarding the company’s direction, transparency in its journey, and recognition of their contributions. These factors are managed differently when dealing with crises such as Covid. It is crucial to think about how to get back to a long-term strategic planning mindset.

In the era of Gen AI, the technology itself is not a barrier; the critical consideration lies in identifying which problems that technology can address effectively. It is important to be deliberate in selecting the appropriate applications for this technology.

Legal

Insights provided by Rob Dickey, Partner at Morgan Lewis.

The Corporate Transparency Act, which went into effect on January 1^st of this year, requires entities formed by filings with Secretaries of State to submit beneficial ownership information to the Department of Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. Exemptions apply to 23 types of entities. However, many exemptions are far from straightforward in their drafting and application. Some examples of exemptions are employee headcount threshold and revenue threshold. This Act should be on all companies’ radars going forward.

2024 M&A Market

Insights from attendees and conference participants.

Private Equity investors are hungry for deals based on prolonged holding periods for many portfolios. While JEGI CLARITY has executed over 25 deals in the last 15 months, there has been a dearth of deal flow in many sectors.

M&A activity has been markedly down over the last year, primarily attributed to difficult macro-economic conditions, geopolitical uncertainty, a slowdown in tech investments and valuations and a challenging bid ask spread between buyer and seller. Companies that have managed to maintain revenues and/or grow over the last year are in a fantastic position to stand out in a supply-constrained market.

Private Equity and Strategics have scaled up sourcing efforts in an attempt to identify targets, Founders should anticipate a ton of inbound in advance of an active Spring to Summer M&A market. The time value of money and pressure from LP’s will contribute to some harvesting of portfolio gains this year and perhaps reset valuations for the coming year. Net net, there’s a window of opportunity ahead for sellers and buyers alike.

To learn more about our 2024 conference, please visit here. If you have any other questions about our conference, please contact us.

The 20th Anniversary Event
Two Decades of Exceptional Evolution

Our 20th annual Media & Technology Conference was a preeminent, can’t-miss event for nearly 600 senior executives across the media, marketing, information and technology sectors.

The theme of the conference this year was Two Decades of Exceptional Evolution. Attendees heard intimate discussions from an array of world class leaders and executives who shared their experiences managing through today’s fast-paced and rapidly evolving landscape as well as their strategies for success in the year ahead.

2024 Conference Materials

Click Here for the 2024 Conference Program

Click Here for the 2024 Speaker Bios

Click Here for the Deep Dives Into M&A’s Hottest Sectors Presentation

Click Here for the Recent Legal Developments and Trends in M&A Presentation

2024 Conference Speakers

Sejal Amin, Chief Technology Officer | Shutterstock

Keia Clarke, Chief Executive Officer | New York Liberty

Laura Correnti, Founder & CEO | Deep Blue Sports + Entertainment

Elizabeth Deeming, Chief Executive Officer | MVF

Bob Dethlefs, Founder & Former CEO | Evanta; Chairman | CyberRisk Alliance

Robert Dickey, Partner | Morgan Lewis

Patrick Donoghue, National Managing Principal, Corporate Finance & Transaction Advisory Services; Private Equity Industry Leader | BDO

Kerry Gumas, Founder & CEO | Metacomet Advisors

Heather Holst-Knudsen, Founder & CEO | H2K Labs

Nikesh Kalra, Chief Operating Officer | DeepMedia

Doug Manoni, Founder & CEO | CyberRisk Alliance

Philipp Mueller, Chief Analyst & Product Officer | Outsell

Ilya Meyzin, Head of Data Science | Dun & Bradstreet

Duncan Painter, Chief Executive Officer | Flywheel

Scott Peters, Co-Founder & Managing Partner | Growth Catalyst Partners

Gemma Postlethwaite, Chief Executive Officer | GLG

John Rose, Managing Director & Senior Partner | Boston Consulting Group

Breanna Stewart, Power Forward for the NY Liberty, 2x WNBA Champion, 2x Olympic Gold Medalist, 2x WNBA MVP, 5x WNBA All-Star, 4x NCAA Champion

Anthea Stratigos, Co-Founder & CEO | Outsell

Sean Sullivan, Managing Director & Head of Direct Lending Origination | Morgan Stanley

Andrew Tisdale, Senior Managing Director & Co-Head of Europe | Providence Equity

Mark Williams, Chief Revenue Officer, Americas | Datasite

Bill Wise, Co-Founder & CEO | Mediaocean

We would like to thank our valued, blue-chip sponsors for supporting the event

JEGI CLARITY held its third Executive Leadership Dinner of 2023 on October 19th at the Pierre in New York starting at 6PM with cocktails. These events are structured as roundtable discussions and provide a stimulating evening of great conversation and networking.

This dinner was titled “An Insider’s View of the Rapidly Changing Research & Insights Landscape.” The roundtable discussion was led by Steve Schlesinger, Executive Chairman of Sago, who shared his perspectives on the evolving research and insights industry. The dinner brought together approximately 35 senior executives from a mix of large global corporations and emerging companies. Below is an overview of the discussion from attendee Jillian Gibbs, Founder & CEO of APR.

Steve posed many thought-provoking questions to the group, kicking off with “Given the dynamics in the world right now, geopolitically, socioeconomically and overall client behavior, what should companies be doing today to be successful?” In response, the consensus leaned towards prioritizing customer success and relationship management. The key takeaways included a commitment to excelling in one’s core competencies, fostering close proximity with clients and focusing efforts on overdelivering to solidify existing partnerships. Staying in tune with the evolving needs of clients was highlighted as essential, ensuring that support remains tailored and effective. Leveraging satisfied clients as influential voices to generate new business leads was also encouraged. Finally, the proactive offering of multi-year contracts at a discount emerged as a strategy to cement these crucial relationships, securing a path to long-term success.

The group discussed opportunities, challenges, and trends in the research and insights industry. One significant trend mentioned is the shift of tech companies using consulting as a lead generation strategy to drive their subscription models, which is the opposite of how it was done in prior years. This change underscores the growing importance of consulting services in the tech sector. Additionally, clients are increasingly outsourcing roles such as data and business analysts, a shift that businesses in this space should leverage to expand their services and expertise. Furthermore, it’s crucial to help clients achieve more with less, offering efficiency and cost-effectiveness without compromising the quality of work. This approach will enhance client satisfaction and retention.

Observing the changes from the previous year, there’s a clear trend in clients shifting from annual plans to quarterly plans, reflecting the need for agility in these rapidly changing times. Additionally, AI has become a pivotal tool for data, and it’s essential for businesses to consider how they can incorporate AI into their operations to enhance productivity and services. Lastly, the idea that “flat is the new growth” means that companies that can maintain a stable revenue while improving their EBITDA performance are considered successful in the current environment.

If you would like to discuss further or learn more about our events, please contact us at contact@jegiclarity-us.com.

The JEGI CLARITY team had the privilege of co-producing the annual Outsell Signature Event, which recently took place at the Four Seasons Hotel, in Hampshire, UK. 

The conference is a seminal event for senior leaders in the data and information industry.  It provides a platform for discussing key trends and their implications for the industry, while providing guests with an opportunity to make valuable connections within the sector. Full agenda and speaker list can be found here.

Key Takeaways

Generative AI for some but not necessarily for all

Throughout the event, there was an acknowledgement that your business model, offering and client base will likely drive what stage you are at in the ‘AI journey’. Some have been using AI for decades, while others are just beginning to explore its potential.

Understanding whether AI will be focused internally in driving efficiencies or speed to market, or focused externally, for example on enhancing product solutions will be a key part of determining the extent to which AI is deployed into your business.

For some businesses, the use of generative AI might be excessive and unnecessary to attain their goals. It’s essential to have a clear understanding of your objectives before determining whether these tools will genuinely contribute to reaching them, and many organizations are grappling with understanding this.

Many leaders in the room cautioned against rapid investment into AI without a framework covering a true understanding of your organization’s data and processes, your clients’ view and use of AI and the AI development approach, including ROI at each stage.

The importance of organizational buy-in

The transition to leveraging AI needs to be led by executive and senior management, but with a measured approach of proof testing, reviewing, evolving, and continually verifying.

Organizational buy-in is viewed as critical even at the testing stage so people and teams across the organization understand what the AI can potentially deliver, and what the aims and benefits are. Without this, it will be very difficult to meaningfully leverage AI.

It was noted that the regulatory framework around AI must catch up with the rapid pace of the technology, inevitability leading to a growing industry of regulations and policies. How the regulatory environment intersects with an individual business, and the organization, will be critical and at the moment, this intersection is unclear.

More than a hype bubble

What was resounding across the two days was the profound impact of AI on the knowledge economy. Attendees were aware that change is coming and fast, and that although there were parameters to establish how the industry integrates AI into it, the opportunities it presents are impossible and dangerous to ignore.

Indeed, the prevailing theme of the event reflected what we are hearing across our industry, and many others: how AI, and specifically the latest wave of generative technologies, can be augmented into businesses. There is a clear recognition, however, that while there are potential benefits, how these can be achieved is a work in progress for many.

Are we ready?

Considerable debate centered on some of the perceived risks as well. IP infringement, plagiarism, erosion of jobs, bias; all areas that need monitoring and care. The importance of clear policies and compliance frameworks both internally and externally underpinned by an understanding of the technology will be crucial for all businesses in the sector and beyond.

The M&A viewpoint  

Wilma Jordan, Founder and CEO, North America at JEGI CLARITY presented an insightful overview of the M&A marketplace offering projections for the future in light of economic outlook, high interest rates and pressure on cash and profits.

Describing green shoots appearing from those businesses that have real understanding of the use of data, she also outlined how AI is already driving a wave of investment that will continue to gather pace in the next 12 months. 

With 2023 already a record year for investment in generative AI start-ups, with equity funding estimated to have reached $14.1 billion*, there is no doubt that those companies within the AI arena will continue to power this pace.

If you would like to receive a copy of our presentation on the M&A viewpoint, please contact us.

[*] https://www.cbinsights.com/research/generative-ai-funding-top-startups-investors/

JEGI CLARITY and Stax held an Executive Leadership Breakfast on October 11th at the Stax offices in New York City. This event was structured as roundtable discussions and provided a stimulating morning of great conversation and networking.

This breakfast was titled “Making the Most of AI, First Party Data and Community.” The roundtable discussion was led by Kathleen Thomas, Managing Director at JEGI CLARITY, and Denzil Rankine, Managing Director at Stax, who shared their perspectives on the role of community and how AI and first party data are impacting the B2B Media and Marketing landscape.