Full Name
Anette Schaefer
Job Title
CEO
Company
EIT Culture & Creativity
Speaker Bio
Anette Schaefer is the Co-CEO of EIT Culture & Creativity, the ninth Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC) of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), dedicated to the Cultural and Creative Sectors and Industries (CCSI). She provides strategic leadership and ensures the financial health and long-term sustainability of the organization.
Anette has extensive expertise in managing public and private financing for multinational organizations and partnerships, balancing a strong business mindset with a deep commitment to societal impact.
Before joining EIT Culture & Creativity, she worked as an independent consultant, interim manager, and industry analyst until 2024. Prior to that, she was Vice President, TV Business Europe at Deutsche Telekom AG (DTAG) until 2019, where she held end-to-end responsibility for DTAG’s TV and Video businesses outside Germany. Under her leadership, the business grew to 5.5 million subscribers and generated an annual turnover of €750 million.
In August 2019, Anette was nominated by the World Economic Forum as a leading expert for the Industry 4.0 Initiative in the Media and Entertainment group. She also serves on the boards of innovative video technology providers, including Vionlabs (Sweden) and AEOS (Croatia).
With over 20 years of experience in the TMT sector, Anette has worked across the US, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, leading projects in business case development, commercial and technical due diligence, benchmarking, market research, and consumer marketing strategy. She has deep expertise in the global media, entertainment, and broadband industries.
Before her tenure at Deutsche Telekom, Anette founded BIG Picture, a digital media analyst and advisory firm focused on multi-platform distribution and its impact on media, communications, and technology. She worked as an interim manager and consultant for international media and telecom companies, investment firms, technology providers, and strategy consultancies.
Previously, she was Director of Broadband, Media, and Entertainment EMEA at Yankee Group in London, where she led research and consulting on consumer market developments, competition in the telecom and media industry, and technology convergence strategies.
Earlier in her career, she worked as a management consultant in the US, advising Disney, NBC Universal, Bertelsmann, Liberty Global, AOL Time Warner, and other industry leaders on market entry strategies, business planning, marketing, M&A, and service implementation.
Anette is also a regular speaker at industry conferences and a member of international media and telecom focus groups.
She holds an M.A. in Product Design, Media, and Communication from the University of Bielefeld.
Anette has extensive expertise in managing public and private financing for multinational organizations and partnerships, balancing a strong business mindset with a deep commitment to societal impact.
Before joining EIT Culture & Creativity, she worked as an independent consultant, interim manager, and industry analyst until 2024. Prior to that, she was Vice President, TV Business Europe at Deutsche Telekom AG (DTAG) until 2019, where she held end-to-end responsibility for DTAG’s TV and Video businesses outside Germany. Under her leadership, the business grew to 5.5 million subscribers and generated an annual turnover of €750 million.
In August 2019, Anette was nominated by the World Economic Forum as a leading expert for the Industry 4.0 Initiative in the Media and Entertainment group. She also serves on the boards of innovative video technology providers, including Vionlabs (Sweden) and AEOS (Croatia).
With over 20 years of experience in the TMT sector, Anette has worked across the US, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, leading projects in business case development, commercial and technical due diligence, benchmarking, market research, and consumer marketing strategy. She has deep expertise in the global media, entertainment, and broadband industries.
Before her tenure at Deutsche Telekom, Anette founded BIG Picture, a digital media analyst and advisory firm focused on multi-platform distribution and its impact on media, communications, and technology. She worked as an interim manager and consultant for international media and telecom companies, investment firms, technology providers, and strategy consultancies.
Previously, she was Director of Broadband, Media, and Entertainment EMEA at Yankee Group in London, where she led research and consulting on consumer market developments, competition in the telecom and media industry, and technology convergence strategies.
Earlier in her career, she worked as a management consultant in the US, advising Disney, NBC Universal, Bertelsmann, Liberty Global, AOL Time Warner, and other industry leaders on market entry strategies, business planning, marketing, M&A, and service implementation.
Anette is also a regular speaker at industry conferences and a member of international media and telecom focus groups.
She holds an M.A. in Product Design, Media, and Communication from the University of Bielefeld.
Speaking At
