Richard Yaffa

Bio

As Chief Executive Officer and President, Richard Yaffa oversees this leading Strategic group of marketing and media companies. An industry expert with over 20 years experience in the new media, sports, entertainment, cause marketing and related business fields in North American and the global markets, Rich brings a distinct perspective to building businesses, enterprise value and brands. His strategic approach to the convergence of content, media and brands has allowed Rich and his team to develop successful business growth strategies for his clients. At the core of this approach they utilize unique business development processes, analytics, measurement and valuation tools. Rich and his team have also been at the forefront of monetizing and developing strategic content opportunities. As CEO, Rich has played a critical role in the success and significant growth of this business and business discipline. Prior to founding Media Ventures Group Holdings, Rich was Chief Executive Officer of GroupM Entertainment, Sports and Partnerships, North America part of the leading global media investment management company in the world. GroupM Entertainment, Sports and Partnerships included companies such as GroupM ESP, IEG, MEC Access, Mindshare Performance, Mediacom ESP, and the GroupM Retail Promotions Group. These companies combined the rigor of data, processes, and innovation to develop innovative marketing solutions for prestigious brands such as Citi, Colgate, Dell, Volkswagen, Jones Apparel Group, Bayer, E&J Gallo, Genworth Financial, St. Jude Children’s Hospital, XEROX, Monster, BP, The Tribeca Film Festival and many others. During Rich’s tenure, his team has been at the forefront of the evolution of branded engagement in the entertainment, sports and cause space. Under his leadership, GroupM Entertainment, Sports and Partnership teams have won multiple industry awards including Cause Marketing Forum’s Golden Halo, PR Week and Promo Magazine’s PRO Award. Prior to leading GroupM Entertainment Sports and Partnerships, Rich was the Co-Founder, and Chief Executive Officer of The Leverage Group, where he led the company to multiple awards prior to negotiating sale of the firm to WPP/GroupM. At the Leverage Group, Rich developed the strategy for and negotiated 150+ partnerships. Rich was also head of marketing and sales for the Columbia Records Group. Rich spearheaded numerous sales and marketing efforts and campaigns for artists such as Mariah Carey, Bruce Springsteen, Will Smith, Barbra Streisand, Billy Joel, Nas, Harry Connick Jr., and many others. Rich received his Masters in Business Administration from New York University’s Stern School of Business and is a graduate of Franklin and Marshall College.