The board of the Global Media Innovator has completed its work on schedule.
The new Innovator is elected and will be introduced during the Diplomatic Council’s annual All Nations Gala which will be held again in the German finance capital Frankfurt at the grand hotel Hessischer Hof, this time on February 3.
Besides the exclusive DC fellowship the honoree will receive an art object that again was created by the international recognized artist Ulrike Bolenz who is located in Belgium. This year’s object has the title Blue Head. Bolenz had numerous exhibitions around the globe including in 2016 Antwerp and Moscow. Works of her are part of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) collection. She has a unique style that combines painting, photography and various collage styles in combination with acrylic glass fascinatingly playing with perspective, deepness and light.
The board again had to make its votes from a total of 15 candidates that were selected before by the organizations and networks behind the board members. The selection again compassed a wide variety including OTT platforms, Virtual Reality (VR) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) content pioneers, non-profit organizations and tech innovators. Regardless the increased size of the board, to eight members now from five the previous year, the process went smoother, since it had be altered compared to last year with the board members in the first two voting rounds only judging candidates that were not nominated by their own networks.
Members of the 2017 board are besides Ian Wightman (IHS Markit, Austin/Tx.), Rebecca Lieb (New York), David Mercer (Strategy Analytics, Milton Keynes)), Jo Groebel (DDI, Berlin) and Robin Eckermann (Eckermann Associates, Canberra), that were already judging the INNOVATOR premiere in 2016, George Twumasi (ABN Holdings, London/Ghana), Moeed Ahmad (Al Jazeera, Doha) and Dato’ Ng Wan Peng (MDEC, Malaysia). In case of there would have been no clear decision for one Innovator DC founding president H.E. Budhi K. Athauda would have had the final vote. This was not necessary this year.
The new Innovator’s identity will be made public shortly prior to the gala.
