Debra Lee

As a pioneering female CEO and early member of Times Up and the Recording Academy’s diversity task force, Debra Lee has spent her ceiling-shattering career encouraging women to not only find their voice, but to use it to empower other women. With the numbers of female CEOs, COOs and board members stagnating, the CEO Emeritus of BET Networks believes that only by having more women in the room making green-light decisions, will things get better for all women — and our workplaces. In this inspiring and insightful talk, Lee shares experiences from her decades as one of the most powerful women in the entertainment industry. Applauded for her commitment to leading BET “as though a woman was the head of the company,” she shares wisdom for leaders and those who shape corporate culture and brand. She also provides sage, frank advice for aspiring young women and women of color. With her signature candor and warmth, Debra explores what it means to bring your values and personal beliefs to everything you do, find your authentic voice, be bold, be strong and be heard!

“What do men really know about lipstick?” As one of only two women serving on cosmetics giant Revlon’s corporate board, Debra Lee called out the elephant in the room. Today, Revlon’s board seats more women than ever before and Lee has gone on to tackle diversity issues in Silicon Valley as a current member of Twitter’s board of directors. For Lee, embracing diversity isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s key to achieving your organization’s full potential and maximum success. “A variety of voices and experiences can only mean good things,” she says. If your team reflects the many different aspects of your business and audience, then you have a big advantage. Adding women and people of color to your team will strengthen it and bring new, fresh ideas that benefit your bottom line.” In this empowering presentation, Debra Lee provides strategies for making diversity key to your brand’s vision and purpose — empowering employees, reflecting and delighting customers, and achieving your highest level of success.

During three decades at BET Networks, Debra Lee saw it become the first African American company to be traded on the New York Stock Exchange, and later, acquired by Viacom for $3 billion in 2001. Under her leadership, BET went from being known mostly for music videos to creating award-winning original programs that grew market share to more than 100 million homes globally. The secrets to this success story are the stuff of legend in the entertainment industry. They also provide invaluable insights to any company seeking to revitalize their brand or take a successful company to an even higher level. “Of all the things that I did in my career, improving on a brand that can last and be an authentic reflection of our community is what I consider my legacy,” says Lee. In this dynamic presentation filled with business acumen and actionable insights, Lee takes audiences through BET’s success, emphasizing the importance of  setting goals, providing a clear vision, and most of all, respecting, reflecting and elevating the customers and communities you serve.

During her three decades-long career with BET, Debra Lee saw her industry radically disrupted by technology, undergo a revolution in content delivery and celebrate the ascendance of the Black media consumer. She also saw BET both go public and be acquired by media giant Viacom. All capped off by a highly successful transition of leadership as she succeeded the company’s legendary founder as Chairman and CEO. These experiences transformed Lee into not only an agent of change, but a triumphant champion of it. She went on to shape BET into a catalyst for change via ground-breaking programming that challenged perceptions and more authentically reflected Black America. The re-brand, culture shift and mission focus under Lee’s leadership transformed BET into the largest global company dedicated to Black programming. In this compelling talk for companies that are facing external disruption or internal change, Debra Lee shares lessons learned from her career as one of America’s rare African-American women CEOs and on boards ranging from Marriott to Twitter. Honored as an Adweek Disruptor and as a champion for change in the Times Up movement and a change agent on prominent corporate boards, Lee provides essential approaches for individuals and organizations to thrive and triumph in a constantly changing world.

According to Debra Lee, “An organization without vision is just a commodity and commodities come and go. But when a company has a vision, with core values that are supported in their daily action, that is what drives a powerful culture and a powerful, successful brand.” As Chairman and CEO of BET, Lee created and championed a set of core values that drove the company to success both internally and externally: Respect, Reflect and Elevate. These values not only created a positive and inclusive corporate culture, but took BET to a higher level as a creator and provider of authentic entertainment to African-American audiences. Recounting BET’s story and her experiences on a variety of corporate and nonprofit boards, Debra Lee walks audiences through the importance of organizational vision, values and purpose — connecting them not only to elevating corporate culture, but to dramatically improving the bottom line.