#89 Feb 05, 25

Emma O’Brian on Quiet Influence and the Business of News - Chief Influencer - Episode # 089

Emma O’Brian, the Senior Vice President of Strategy for Dow Jones, delves into her career trajectory, the role of business intelligence, and the evolving media landscape. She heads growth and innovation efforts at Dow Jones, overseeing strategy, M&A, and R&D initiatives, and serves as a member of the executive leadership team. She differentiates between news for general consumers and business intelligence for professionals, emphasizing the importance of providing relevant and context-rich information for both.

Emma also discusses adapting media output to varied consumer preferences, leveraging technology for personalized content, and maintaining journalistic integrity as fundamental to her approach. Her journey, which started as a TV booker and evolved into strategic leadership roles, underscores the value of pragmatism, neutrality, and data-driven decision-making. The dialogue further explores the balance between current audience needs and future market adaptations, emphasizing internal influence and strategic stakeholder management.

Takeaways:

Lead Growth and Innovation: Strive to be at the forefront of growth and innovation within your organization. Always seek new opportunities to expand and improve.
Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with various teams and departments. Bringing diverse teams together can help solve complex problems efficiently.
Continuously Upskill: Invest in your education and skills. Advanced degrees or certifications can help you stay competitive and open doors to new career opportunities.
Embrace New Media and Personal Branding: Build and maintain a strong personal brand. In today's digital world, personal brands can be as powerful as corporate logos.
Build Internal Influence: Focus on building trust and working behind the scenes. Being an honest broker can be more effective than seeking the limelight.
Inclusive Decision-Making: Ensure all relevant stakeholders have a voice in decision-making processes. This fosters trust and leads to better, more inclusive decisions.
Data-Driven Decisions: Base strategies and decisions on data rather than intuition. Test and validate ideas before full implementation to ensure they are grounded in factual insights.

Quote of the Show:

“It's not so much a career ladder, but more like a walk around a mountain. You keep taking new opportunities and growing. Eventually, you look back and realize that you've arrived, not by climbing a straight path, but by gaining the experience that gives you a holistic view of what it takes to run a business, manage a P&L, and understand the true outcomes.”

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmavobrian/
Website: https://www.dowjones.com/

Shout Outs:

Almar Latour: https://www.linkedin.com/in/almarlatour/
Emma Tucker: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-tucker-b84a424/

Episode Video

Creators and Guests

Host

Anthony Shop

Anthony Shop believes in the power of people-centered branding and marketing to create a bright future. He chairs the National Digital Roundtable, the premier convener of digital innovators, leaders and policy shapers. Anthony also is the Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Social Driver, a digital services firm that helps companies and non-profits establish winning strategies with social media, websites, creative, and advertising. An enthusiastic presenter and teacher, he has led executive-level training for Amazon, PepsiCo, NASA, The British Embassy and the Bipartisan Policy Center. He has been recognized as an “OUTstanding LGBT Role Model” by The Financial Times, “40 Under 40” by The Washington Business Journal, and Business Leader of the Year by the DC Chamber of Commerce. A former newspaper reporter, Anthony was the first new media professional elected to the National Press Club’s Board of Governors. He currently serves on the boards of Leadership Greater Washington and LearnServe International. He earned his MBA from The George Washington University School of Business, where he teaches as an adjunct lecturer.

Producer

Amanda Goyette

Guest

Emma O'Brian

SVP, Strategy at Dow Jones

Producer

Robert Krueger

Robert is an Executive Director for The Communications Board, an organization with the mission of providing high-quality professional development for every communicator in every location. He is also the Global Lead for Partnership Communications at Gensler, the world’s largest architecture and design firm. Prior to his current role, he performed executive and CEO communications for Gensler, and was the senior director of public relations and social media at the Urban Land Institute. He obtained an MA in Communications and an MA in History from George Mason University. He did his undergraduate studies at the University of Missouri-Columbia. In addition, Robert has taught communications at universities including George Mason University, West Virginia University, and the University of Florida. Robert currently serves as Immediate-Past President for the Public Relations Society of America’s National Capital Chapter (PRSA-NCC) -- the nonprofit’s largest chapter.