Arlington, VA — The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has announced that Anne Sweeney, co-chair, Disney Media Networks and president, Disney-ABC Television Group; Mike Griffith, president and CEO, Activision Publishing and Dirk Meyer, president and CEO of AMD will deliver addresses at the 2009 International CES as part of the Industry Insider Series. The 2009 International CES will return to Las Vegas, January 8-11, 2009.
“We are thrilled to welcome this dynamic lineup of Industry Insider speakers to the 2009 International CES stage, each representing key markets in the consumer technology industry,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, CEA. “Anne Sweeney has been instrumental in merging the worlds of technology and content to allow greater access for consumers, and Dirk Meyer and Mike Griffith are true pioneers shaping the future of the respective IT and gaming markets. CES attendees will gain incredible insight from these industry leaders regarding the next generation of technology innovations.”
Dirk Meyer, president and CEO, AMD, will kick off the 2009 Industry Insider Series with an address at 11 a.m., Thursday, January 8. Anne Sweeney, co-chair Disney Media Networks and president, Disney-ABC Television Group, will deliver Thursday afternoon’s Industry Insider address at 2:30 p.m. Mike Griffith, president and CEO, Activision Publishing, will round out the series with an address at 11 a.m., Friday, January 9, 2009. All Industry Insider addresses will take place at the Las Vegas Hilton theater.
In 2004, Anne Sweeney was appointed co-chair, Disney Media Networks and president, Disney-ABC Television Group, where she is responsible for The Walt Disney Company’s entertainment and news television properties globally. Ms. Sweeney oversees the ABC Television Network, which provides entertainment, news and kids programming to viewers via 228 affiliated stations across the U.S. in addition to other technological platforms. ABC series, many of which are produced by ABC Studios, are distributed to more than 200 territories across the globe by Disney-ABC Worldwide Television. She also oversees Disney Channel Worldwide, which has created such global franchises as “High School Musical,” “Hannah Montana” and “Camp Rock” starring the Jonas Bros. Since assuming her current role, Ms. Sweeney has repeatedly been named the “Most Powerful Woman in Entertainment” by The Hollywood Reporter, one of the “50 Most Powerful Women i n Business” by Fortune and one of “The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women” by Forbes.
Mike Griffith has served as president and CEO of Activision Publishing Inc., since June 2005. A leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products, Activision Publishing’s portfolio contains some of the biggest franchises in interactive entertainment, including Call of Duty and Guitar Hero. During his tenure, Activision’s net revenues have more than doubled and the company achieved some of the highest operating margins in the industry. Prior to joining Activision, Griffith had a 23-year career The Procter & Gamble Company, a manufacturer of consumer goods products, serving most recently as president of The Procter & Gamble Company’s Global Beverage Division.
Dirk Meyer is president and CEO of AMD and also serves on the company’s Board of Directors. Prior to being named CEO in 2008, Meyer served as president and COO of AMD. From 2001 to 2006, Meyer led the company’s microprocessor business, overseeing related R&D, manufacturing, operations and marketing. His leadership during these five years resulted in a doubling of revenue for the microprocessor business and a substantial expansion of AMD’s global profile. Meyer joined AMD in 1995 and led engineering for the AMD Athlon microprocessor. As one of the world’s leading microprocessor design innovators, Meyer was presented with the prestigious Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Maurice Wilkes Award at the 2003 International Symposium on Computer Architecture (ISCA).
