SPOTLIGHT: LINDA YACCARINO
Chairman, Advertising and Partnerships, NBCUniversal
Behind any show, on any screen, there’s an entire economic infrastructure at work. And no person has had a bigger hand in shaping it than Linda Yaccarino. Every day she continues to transform the $70 billion television industry.
Since joining NBCUniversal in 2011, Yaccarino rebuilt its advertising and partnership business for the 21st century by bringing together individual network teams to create a united monetization strategy; effectively becoming the strategic and operational bridge across all of NBCUniversal’s networks, properties, and business units. In short, she put the “P” in the company’s P&L.
As Chairman of Advertising and Partnerships, Yaccarino is responsible for managing over $10B in revenue annually and stewarding the company’s industry-leading portfolio of linear networks, digital platforms, distribution partnerships, and client relationships. Yaccarino, with the help of her 1,500-person team, connects established and emerging brands to hundreds of millions of viewers—driving economic impact for not just her company, but entire industries.
At NBCUniversal, Yaccarino was the first chief in history to bring the market one, unified portfolio—a strategy that has since become ubiquitous in the marketplace. Also under her leadership, NBCUniversal pioneered the industry’s first all-screen measurement solution and became the first network to develop outcome-based guarantees.
More recently, Yaccarino’s work has become global. She’s led the development of the first-ever combined advertising and sponsorship program for the LA 2028 Olympics and united the advanced video advertising capabilities of both NBCUniversal and Sky to create a groundbreaking global offering for marketers.
In addition to Yaccarino’s transformative leadership and vision, she’s been the recipient of many honors and awards. Yaccarino was one of Business Insider’s “Top 10 People Transforming Advertising”; Adweek’s “Ten Most Powerful Women in TV”; Hollywood Reporter’s“ Women in Entertainment: Power 100”; and Variety’s “Power Women of New York.” She also received the UJA Foundation’s Mac Dane Award for Humanitarian Excellence.
Yaccarino is also the Chairman of the World Economic Forum’s Taskforce on Future of Work, and the Vice Chairman of The Advertising Council. She sits on Ascena Retail Group’s Board of Directors and is a member of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition.
