Italia Commisso Weinand

Executive Vice President, Programming and Human Resources, Mediacom Communications Corporation

In a career spanning 46 years and counting, Italia Commisso Weinand has established herself as one the most prominent and respected executives in the cable industry. Since joining Mediacom Communications in 1996 as its third employee, she has worked to help build Mediacom into the fifth largest cable operator in the U.S., serving 1.4 million customers in 22 states.

As the company embarked on a series of major acquisitions, Italia’s insight and experience proved to be invaluable. She organized the company’s early operations, human resources, marketing and programming policies. Understanding Mediacom needed to attract and retain an employee workforce of dedicated and proficient individuals, she developed a family-oriented corporate culture based on fairness, diversity and career development. It is a policy that has paid off, as Mediacom has grown from fewer than 80 employees in 1996 to nearly 4,000 today.

Italia’s reputation as a groundbreaker and risk-taker is an inspiration to those who work with her. Likewise, her business acumen has contributed to Mediacom delivering on its promise to close the digital divide by providing broadband-based video, data and voice services to America’s smaller cities and towns. As a leader on programming issues and a former board member of NCTC, she has fought for economic equity while building a Mediacom video brand comparable to the largest MSOs.

Prior to starting a career in retail, Italia got her first job in cable at Manhattan Cable (Time, Inc.) in New York City. She later worked for Times Mirror Cable, TCI (CableNet) and Comcast Corporation, before joining her brother Rocco B. Commisso to become a founding member of Mediacom. Throughout her professional life, she has committed herself to numerous charitable causes including Covenant House, Hope Through Care, Habitat for Humanity, St. Jude’s Hospital, Lake Drive School of the Deaf, the Knights of Columbus, NY-Presbyterian Hospital, ALS Association, St. Peter’s Orphanage and the NJ Police Benevolent Association. A Cable TV Pioneer, Italia has been named among the “Most Powerful Women in Cable” by Cablefax Magazine for the past 12 consecutive years. In 2004, she was honored by Multichannel News as a Wonder Woman, and in 2014 was inducted into the “Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame.” In 2018, she was honored with the “WICT Woman of the Year – Operator” Award. Italia serves on the board of The Cable Center, CTAM Educational Foundation, The Emma Bowen Foundation and is a director of Mediacom Communications Corporation. She is a past board member of Cable Positive and WICT.

Italia attended Elizabeth Seton College and Fordham University. In addition, Italia completed WICT’s Senior Executive Summit at Stanford University Graduate School of Business. She has been married to George Weinand for 33 years and is the mother of a son, John, two stepsons, William and Michael, three step-grandchildren and has 28 nieces and nephews.

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Italia Commisso Weinand, 2023 Cable Hall of Fame Honoree
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Gibbs Jones

C5 Emeritus
Owner (Spartanburg)

ARCpoint Labs

Gibbs is a customer experience executive with over 25 years of customer experience leadership and expertise in the design, optimization and implementation of customer contact operations. Gibbs has combined skill in the human and technology side of customer contact operations, including the procurement and installation of ACD equipment, workforce management and CRM systems. He has directed the start-up of multiple customer contact operations, with industry expertise in consumer electronics, communications, retail, manufacturing, financial services, banking, and direct sales.

Gibbs has over ten years experience in the Cable Industry. Most recently Gibbs was the Senior Vice President of Customer Experience for Suddenlink Communications. Gibbs worked with Suddenlink’s six regional senior vice presidents and the managers of its customer-contact call centers in Arizona, Missouri, North Carolina, Texas and West Virginia to measure and improve Customer Satisfaction through transactional and relationship Net Promoter Programs and JD Power Research Studies.

Gibbs was also responsible for the company’s social media strategy where he made sure Suddenlink was active in the major social networking channels and found new ways to improve customer loyalty in this space.

Currently Gibbs owns two ARCpoint Labs locations. ARCpoint is a leader in the B to C and B to B drug and alcohol testing industry. Additionally, Gibbs has a consulting practice that helps companies improve their customer experience.

Gibbs is a Certified Net Promoter® Associate and has been a speaker at various conferences and is frequently called upon to discuss considerations related to measuring and improving the customer experience, exceptional contact center management, and optimizing the employee experience.

 

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