CNN International Senior Vice President and Managing Editor Ellana Lee was named ContentAsia’s ‘Asia Media Woman of the Year’ last night at a gala dinner in Singapore.
Now in its sixth year, the prestigious ContentAsia award recognizes the outstanding achievements of female leaders in the media industry.
ContentAsia Editorial Director Janine Stein said Lee was selected for her commitment to news media: “We are living in an extraordinary time when the media is under constant attack. The term ‘fake news’ is part of our every day and challenge of making sense out of the deluge of information coming at us all the time can seem insurmountable. There has never been a more important time for journalism or a more important time for strong, unbiased leadership. Ellana ticks all the boxes: she’s fearless, she’s a role model, she’s a trail-blazer, she’s a game-changer. She’s truly inspiring.”
Lee is the first international broadcast network executive to receive the award and said she is humbled by it.
“It’s an absolute honour and privilege to be recognized for something I am genuinely passionate about. As we all know, there are steep mountains to climb and obstacles to overcome when it comes to equal rights, responsibilities and opportunities for women. And even more so for Asian women. So being recognized for this award is not something I take lightly and I accept it on behalf of all the incredible women who work tirelessly across the media industry.”
Past recipients of the award include CEO of Astro Malaysia Dato RohanaRozhan; former President and CEO ABS-CBN Philippines Charo Santos-Concio; former EVP and Head of Now TV Hong Kong and current CEO of Mediacorp Singapore Tham Loke Kheng; Managing Director of PCCW Media Group Janice Lee; and President and CEO Cignal TV Philippines Jane Jimenez-Basas.
The gala dinner marks the beginning of the annual ContentAsia Summit which continues in Singapore today.
