Lori Conkling, a veteran of Disney and ESPN Media Networks, will succeed Louise Henry Bryson as Lifetime Networks executive vice president of distribution, effective March 1, officials said Monday.
Conkling will oversee all distribution for Lifetime Television and Lifetime Movie Network, the No. 1 and No. 2 networks for women, as well as Lifetime Real Women. She will also supervise the expansion of new and existing product platforms such as Lifetime VOD, Lifetime and Lifetime Movie Network HD and Lifetime Movie Network en Espanol on demand.
Conkling will report to Lifetime Networks president and CEO Andrea Wong, and is filling the void left by Bryson's upcoming retirement.
“Lori will be replacing the retiring Louise Henry Bryson, whose business acumen, passion and leadership have been critical to the great success Lifetime Networks enjoy today,” Wong said in a prepared statement. “I am thrilled that Louise is not leaving until the end of May to ensure a smooth transition and Lori will be able to seamlessly build on Louise's and her team's many accomplishments.”
Since 2004, Conkling has served as vice president of national accounts for Disney and ESPN Media Networks, where she has been responsible for executing complex, multi-product national distribution deals for linear channels, VOD and pay-per-view services, broadband products and interactive TV applications. In her role, she has negotiated on behalf of Disney, ESPN, ABC and ABC News, among others. She rose to this position after having served as director of national accounts for the ABC Cable Networks Group.
Conkling is a member of Class 12 of the Betsy Magness Leadership Institute, WICT's prestigious training program for executive women in the telecommunications industry.
Prior to joining Disney and ESPN Media Networks, Conkling worked in the Media & Entertainment practice at Accenture (formerly Andersen Consulting), specializing in analyzing and developing corporate strategies for publishing, film and telecommunications companies.
Conkling received a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Southern California and a MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.
