OUR MISSION
Paramount's Global Inclusion Advisory Committee (GIAC) is a cross-functional internal council, co-chaired by the CEO and the Global Head of Inclusion. It is comprised of senior executive leaders from across the company and meets quarterly to discuss key diversity and inclusion issues and business initiatives.
-
Bob Bakish
President and Chief Executive Officer of Paramount Global
Robert M. Bakish is President and Chief Executive Officer of Paramount Global. Bakish oversees one of the world’s leading producers of media and entertainment content, driven by a global portfolio of powerful consumer brands, including CBS, Showtime, Nickelodeon, MTV, BET, Comedy Central and Paramount Pictures. In this role, which he assumed in December 2019, Bakish is responsible for growing the company’s creative assets and capabilities to serve important and diverse audiences in more than 180 countries. Bakish joined Viacom in 1997 and held a series of senior corporate, sales and development positions at the company.
-
Marva Smalls
Executive Vice President, Global Head of Inclusion at Paramount and Executive Vice President, Public Affairs, Nickelodeon
Marva Smalls is the Executive Vice President, Global Head of Inclusion at Paramount and Executive Vice President, Public Affairs, Nickelodeon. As EVP, Global Head of Inclusion, Smalls reports directly to Paramount's President and CEO, Bob Bakish. Her role includes implementing strategic initiatives and fostering partnerships that promote and advance diversity, inclusion and belonging for Paramount enterprise-wide, with both internal and external stakeholders globally. As EVP, Public Affairs, Kids & Family Entertainment Brands, Smalls also oversees all corporate responsibility initiatives and relationships with external advocates and regulators for Nickelodeon. Smalls has more than three decades of leadership experience in the public and private sectors. She previously served in dual roles as EVP, Global Head of Inclusion Strategy, Viacom, and EVP, Public Affairs and Chief of Staff, Nickelodeon.
-
Alex Berkett
Executive Vice President, Chief Corporate Development and Strategy Officer
Alex Berkett is Executive Vice President, Chief Corporate Development and Strategy Officer. In this role, Berkett leads Paramount's efforts to identify, pursue and execute strategic growth opportunities, including acquisitions, partnerships, investments and joint ventures, across all of the company’s businesses and geographies. He reports to Bob Bakish, President and Chief Executive Officer, Paramount. Berkett joined Paramount in August 2015 and most recently served as Senior Vice President of Corporate Development and Strategy, leading the company’s global activities related to corporate development, mergers and acquisitions and strategy. Berkett also launched and oversaw the Global Emerging Opportunities Group to coordinate legacy Viacom’s company-wide activities related to new technologies, platforms and business models. Before Viacom, Berkett served as Co-Founder and Executive Vice President of Townsquare Media (NYSE: TSQ). He co-founded Townsquare in 2010 with his partners from FiveWire Media, an investment firm he co-founded. In 2009, Berkett joined FiveWire from J.P. Morgan’s Technology, Media & Telecom Investment Banking Group, which he joined following J.P. Morgan’s acquisition of Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc. in 2008. Berkett spent 11 years in the investment banking division of Bear Stearns, principally focused on media and technology mergers and acquisitions, ultimately rising to the level of Managing Director.
-
Louis Carr
President, Media Ad Sales, BET Networks & BLC Member
Louis Carr, President of Media Sales, at Black Entertainment Television (BET) Networks, is one of the most influential and prominent African Americans in both media and marketing industries. He has been responsible for more advertising dollars targeted towards the African-American consumer markets, than any other professional or company. In 2016, he celebrated his 30th year anniversary with BET. In the same year, he earned the Diversity Award from the Hyatt Corporation and another Lifetime Achievement Award from the Patricia Martin Legacy celebration honoring his work around diversity from both personal and professional standpoints. Carr has also been listed on NAMIC’s Most Influential African Americans list in the cable industry several times.
-
Mickey Carter
Executive Vice President, U.S. Networks Distribution, Paramount
Mickey Carter is Executive Vice President, U.S. Networks Distribution, Paramount. During Carter’s tenure at CBS and previously ViacomCBS, CBS has successfully increased the distribution reach of the parent company's networks, implemented a strategy for network distribution on digital streaming platforms, and has exceeded all distribution revenue goals each year. Previously, Carter served as Vice President of National Accounts at Fox News, where he managed the business relationships with all major cable, satellite and telco companies that distributed Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network content on all platforms. Prior to his Fox tenure, Carter was Senior Director of Programming for Time Warner Cable, and worked in a variety of other roles in sports and media after beginning his career as an active-duty officer and attorney in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps. Carter received his A.B. from Harvard College and received his J.D. from Notre Dame Law School.
-
Jose Castro
Executive Vice President, Consumer Products & Experiences
Jose Luis Castro is the Executive Vice President of Consumer Products & Experiences for Paramount, overseeing Global Collaborations, EMEA Licensing, US Apparel & Lifestyle Licensing and the Direct-To-Consumer E-commerce business. In this role, Castro oversees Paramount’s consumer products licensing relationships for all fashion and lifestyle categories including Apparel, Accessories and Homewares for the US Market and recently expanded his role to oversee licensing for EMEA (Europe, Middle East & Africa) partnering with the local leaders across the region. He is also responsible for Paramount’s collaborations which include all co-branded and custom-designed product activations with brands, celebrities and designers and the merchandise at all of Paramount’s Global Experiences including theme parks and hotels.
A 19-year Paramount veteran, Castro has held multiple licensing and retail positions throughout his tenure – most recently focusing on key categories for Paramount’s library of IP, characters and brands including MTV, CBS, Star Trek, PAW Patrol, SpongeBob SquarePants and iconic movie classics from the Paramount Pictures library. He has helmed world-class programs and partnerships with major brands including Nike, Adidas and celebrities like The Weeknd and Lady Gaga and has led several key merchandising statements in over 40 major department and specialty store chains around the world.
Castro, based in New York City, has a B.A. in Marketing with a Concentration in Entertainment, Media & Technology from New York University, and is a graduate of NAMIC’s Executive Leadership Development Program and Viacom’s Inspirational Leadership Program. He currently serves as the Executive Co-Chair for SOMOS, Paramount’s Latino Employee Resource Group.
-
George Cheeks
President and CEO, CBS and Chief Content Officer, News and Sports, Paramount+
George Cheeks assumed the role of President and Chief Executive Officer of the CBS Entertainment Group in March 2020. Cheeks oversees CBS-branded assets within Paramount, including CBS Television Network, which encompasses CBS Entertainment, CBS News and CBS Sports, as well as CBS Studios, CBS Stations, CBS Media Ventures, its first-run syndication business, and CBS-branded digital assets. In June 2021, Cheeks added the role of Chief Content Officer, News and Sports, Paramount+, extending the world-class content from CBS News and CBS Sports to the streaming super service, and responsibility for global content strategy for the company's free-to-air networks in the United Kingdom, Australia and Argentina. Prior to joining CBS, Cheeks served more than seven years at NBCUniversal in senior executive positions that spanned creative, business and operational roles. Most recently, he was Vice Chairman, NBCUniversal Content Studios and was also in charge of late night programming for NBC Entertainment. Cheeks joined NBC in 2012 after serving as Executive Vice President, Business Affairs and General Counsel, Viacom Music and Entertainment Groups, Content Distribution and Marketing, as well as Head of Standards and Practices for Viacom Media Networks, in New York. In his first stint with Viacom starting in 1998, he began working as Senior Counsel for MTV Networks in the Business and Legal Affairs Department for the Nickelodeon Group. While there, he ascended to positions of increasing responsibility, and in 2005 he was elevated to Executive Vice President and General Counsel for MTV, MTV2, MTVu, MTV Films, VH1, CMT and LOGO.
-
Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews
EVP, Newsgathering, CBS News
Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews is executive vice president and CBS News Washington bureau chief. In this role, Ciprian-Matthews oversees the newsgathering and management of the Network’s largest bureau that is also home to the CBS EVENING NEWS and FACE THE NATION. Ciprian-Matthews was previously CBS News’ EVP of strategic professional development, where she focused on recruitment and development of off-air talent to attract and retain the best workforce for the Network. She is a multiple award-winning journalist and accomplished manager who has led the News division’s newsgathering efforts in the U.S. and abroad. Ciprian-Matthews began her journalism career in 1981 and since then has covered major breaking stories around the world.
-
Christa D'Alimonte
Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary
Christa A. D’Alimonte is Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary. She oversees the company’s global legal affairs as its chief legal officer, and reports to Bob Bakish, President and Chief Executive Officer of Paramount Global. D’Alimonte previously served as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of Viacom from 2017 until the merger of Viacom and CBS in December 2020. During this time, she was responsible for overseeing Viacom’s global legal functions, as well as the company’s Human Resources organization and its Security, Facilities and Real Estate teams. D’Alimonte joined Viacom as Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel and Assistant Secretary in 2012 from Shearman & Sterling LLP, where she was Deputy Practice Group Leader of the Firm’s Global Mergers & Acquisitions group. She joined Shearman & Sterling in 1993, and became a partner in January 2001.
-
DeDe Lea
Executive Vice President, Global Public Policy and Government Relations, Paramount
DeDe Lea is Executive Vice President, Global Public Policy and Government Relations, Paramount. In this role, Lea oversees all government affairs and public policy work for the company globally. She reports to Bob Bakish, President and Chief Executive Officer, Paramount. Lea brings two decades worth of leadership experience and institutional knowledge to Paramount. She previously served as legacy Viacom’s Executive Vice President of Global Government Affairs since 2013. During this time, Lea guided the development and execution of government relations strategy for the company across its brands and businesses, both domestically and internationally. Before that, she led Viacom’s Government Relations team as Executive Vice President, beginning in 2005. Lea joined Viacom in 1997 as the company’s Vice President of Government Relations. Lea also served as Vice President of Government Affairs for Dallas-based television broadcasting company Belo Corporation. Prior to her career at Viacom, she was Senior Vice President of Government Relations for the National Association of Broadcasters. In 2019, Lea was named by Black Enterprise Magazine as one of the Most Powerful Executives in Corporate America. She was also recognized as a Top Lawyer by Cablefax magazine in 2018 and was a recipient of the 2014 NCTA Vanguard Award for Government and Community Relations. Lea obtained a J.D. from Georgetown Law, and graduated cum laude from Howard University with a B.A. in Broadcast Management. She currently sits on the boards of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and the MedStar Washington Hospital Center.
-
Katherine Liu
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Paramount International Markets
Katherine Liu is the Executive Vice President (EVP) and Chief Operating Officer of Paramount International Markets. Working closely with the company’s Senior Leadership Team and Regional Leaders, Liu focuses on the growth and strength of Paramount’s hybrid operating model, and the creation of strategic value across all the company’s businesses in Direct-to-Consumer and TV Media, including Paramount+ and Pluto TV, PayTV Networks and Broadcast Free-to-Air, with oversight of the international functions of Finance, Business and Legal Affairs, Strategy, Technology, Research and Insights, and Operations.
With over 15 years at the company, Liu has experience with nearly every facet of Paramount’s organization, most recently having served as Executive Vice President of Strategy and Operations for International Streaming, where she played a key role in the strategic launch, expansion and growth of Paramount’s streaming services, achievement of topline and operating growth, and the underlying development of strong operating infrastructure.
Previously, Liu managed Strategy and Business Development across all of Paramount’s regions, brands and lines of business, as Senior Vice President of Strategy, Business Development & Operations, a role she first took on in 2017. This included establishing a common strategic vision and helping to develop and implement long-term strategic plans. Liu was responsible for identifying and executing growth initiatives – both organic and inorganic – and leading the company’s M&A activities, spearheading the improvement of the financial and operating performance and overall competitiveness of Paramount’s international division. Liu also oversaw the company’s globalized information technology, research and insights and content supply chain divisions.
Liu began working for Paramount in 2006 as Director of Strategy and Business Development. Prior to this, she worked in Hong Kong for the Business Development Group of STAR Television Ltd, focused on expanding STAR's multimedia presence throughout Greater China, India, and Southeast Asia. She also worked in the Corporate Development department at News Corporation, and began her career in the Mergers & Acquisitions Investment Banking Department at Merrill Lynch & Co.
Liu holds a Master’s in Business Administration from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor’s Degree from Georgetown University.
-
Claudia Lyon
EVP, Talent & Casting, CBS Entertainment
Claudia Lyon was named Executive Vice President, Talent and Casting, CBS Entertainment in July 2019. She reports to Kelly Kahl, President, CBS Entertainment, and Thom Sherman, Sr. Vice President, Programming, CBS Entertainment. In her role, Lyon oversees all talent and casting operations for CBS Entertainment’s primetime and daytime programming, limited series, alternative programs and specials.
-
Chris McCarthy
President and CEO, Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios and Paramount Media Networks
Chris McCarthy is the President and CEO, Media Networks and Chief Content Officer, Unscripted Entertainment and Adult Animation, Paramount+, overseeing MTV, Comedy Central, Paramount Network, Smithsonian Channel, Pop TV, CMT, VH1, TV Land, Logo and their respective content studios. Known for his successful track record in transforming businesses and creating content that shape pop culture, McCarthy credits his accomplishments to strong leaders and collaborative teams who embrace the belief that “creativity drives everything we do.” He joined legacy Viacom in 2004 as a freelancer and rose up the ranks holding various positions of responsibility from marketing, strategy, operations and development. The recipient of an Oscar® nomination, multiple Emmy® Awards and a Peabody®, McCarthy earned an M.B.A. from The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Science with Honors in Commerce and Engineering from Drexel University.
-
Sean McManus
Chairman, CBS Sports
Sean McManus was named Chairman, CBS Sports, in February 2011 and has been overseeing all sports properties across the Division’s operations since 1996 when he was named President, CBS Sports. McManus also was named President, CBS News, in October 2005 serving concurrently as President, CBS News and Sports for more than five years prior to being named Chairman. He is only the second person to hold both Division titles simultaneously; Roone Arledge held both at ABC from 1977-86. In addition, McManus serves as Executive Producer of THE NFL ON CBS where he will oversee the broadcast of his eighth Super Bowl.
-
Ramsey Naito
President, Animation & Development, Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation
Ramsey Naito is President, Animation & Development, Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation. In this position, Naito oversees the Nickelodeon's animation content across all formats and platforms--spanning linear, digital, TV movies, theatrical motion pictures and SVOD. In addition, she oversees Paramount Pictures' animation division. Formerly Executive Vice President of Animation Production and Development for the Nickelodeon Group, Oscar®-nominated producer Naito joined Nickelodeon in 2018 and has since overseen a renaissance at the studio of animation content and production in scale and creativity. Naito has been a driving force in bringing new projects, top talent and key partnerships to Nickelodeon Animation, to further bolster its content pipeline across preschool, kids, theatrical and its studio business.
-
Kimberly Paige
EVP, Chief Marketing Officer, BET Networks
Kimberly Paige is a seasoned executive with more than 25 years of general management, strategy, innovation, and brand marketing experience with a proven track record of building billion-dollar Fortune 500 brands. Paige is Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for BET Networks. Paige is responsible for managing and implementing brand strategy across all platforms, including the BET and BET Her linear networks, BET+, BET Digital, BET Social and BET Experience. Paige also leads BET’s awarding-winning Brand Creative Team, best-in-class Consumer Insights & Analytics Team and all Media Planning. In addition, she stewards BET’s Live Events business.
-
Julia Phelps
Executive Vice President, Chief Communications and Corporate Marketing Officer
Julia Phelps is Executive Vice President, Chief Communications and Corporate Marketing Officer, Paramount. In this role, Phelps oversees the company’s Corporate Communications, Corporate Marketing, Corporate Responsibility, Special Events and Internal Creative teams. She reports to Bob Bakish, President and Chief Executive Officer, Paramount. Phelps previously served as Executive Vice President of Communications, Culture and Marketing at Viacom and later ViacomCBS since 2017. Prior to this position, Phelps was Executive Vice President of Communications for Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN). Before that, Phelps served as Vice President of Corporate Communications for Viacom, where she managed communications strategy, including executive communications, ad sales, content distribution and marketing, and corporate responsibility. Phelps joined Viacom in 2005.
-
Nancy Phillips
Executive Vice President, Chief People Officer
Nancy Phillips is Executive Vice President, Chief People Officer, overseeing the combined company’s global human resources organization. Phillips is responsible for driving the company’s human resources strategy and delivering global programs to create a positive employee experience and a culture of high performance. Additionally, she will oversee the company’s HR business partners, talent acquisition, organizational effectiveness, learning and development, total rewards, people analytics, and HR operations. She will also oversee global security. Phillips previously served as the Executive Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer at Nielsen, as well as on the Nielsen Foundation’s Board of Directors. Under her leadership, Nielsen was ranked No. 2 on Forbes’ “Employers for Diversity” list and received multiple “Great Place to Work” awards globally.
-
Tom Ryan
President and CEO, Streaming
Tom Ryan is the President and CEO, Streaming, and oversees the company’s global streaming strategy across both paid and free services, including CBS All Access, which will relaunch as Paramount+ in early 2021, and Pluto TV, the leading free streaming television service. Launched in 2014, Ryan was the CEO and cofounder of Pluto TV, which now carries and programs hundreds of live, linear streaming channels and thousands of on-demand movies and TV shows in partnership with major TV networks, movie studios, publishers, and digital media companies. Pluto TV was acquired by Viacom for $340 million in January of 2019. Under his leadership, the platform achieved unparalleled momentum and scale attracting a user base of over 36.5 million global viewers, key partnerships with over 300 content and media companies, 30 + distribution partners, and an international footprint that spans three continents, and 35 countries, throughout the US, Europe and Latin America. Tom also serves as a founding board member of Smule, the leader in social music with over 50 million monthly users performing over 20 million songs daily via its mobile apps. Prior to his current role, from 2008 to 2012, Ryan was the CEO of Threadless, a popular ecommerce platform specializing in crowdsourced art. He served on the board of men’s clothing service Trunk Club until its acquisition by JW Nordstrom in 2014 and Society6, through its acquisition by Leaf Group in 2013. Early in his career, Tom served as SVP of Digital Strategy at EMI Music as well as co-founder of Cductive (an early digital music retailer company that he merged with eMusic). He holds an AB from Dartmouth College and an MBA from INSEAD in France and lives in Los Angeles with his wife and 3 children.