Maryam Banikarim is the Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Gannett. Responsible for national sales, company-wide marketing, communications, and research, her most important role is to be a catalyst for change -- translating disruptive ideas into measureable results.
Widely known for her boundless curiosity, ability to build dynamic teams and forge partnerships, Maryam applies her entrepreneurial talents to drive change and effect growth. Her efforts have earned her a spot on a number of lists: The New York Post’s “50 Most Powerful Women in NYC,” Fast Company’s “Fast Fifty” list of corporate trailblazers and trendsetters, Fast Company’s “Top 10 Disrupters,” Crain’s New York Business and Advertising Age’s “40 under 40,” Advertising Age’s “Women to Watch” and most recently Fast Company’s “Most Creative People In Business 1000.”
Maryam’s unorthodox career began at Young & Rubicam at the dawn of the dot-com era. From there she went on to Turner Broadcasting, MacMillan Publishing, and she was a lead team member for the launch of CitySearch. She then founded a designer handbag company and a thriving consulting business, which provided strategic expertise to a variety of clients including Deutsche Bank, Bacardi and Time-Warner. Her most recent roles were as Chief Marketing Officer of Univision Communications, Inc. and Senior Vice President for Integrated Sales Marketing at NBC Universal.
Additionally, she is recognized as a Woman of Distinction by the League of Women Voters of the City of New York and was honored by the Girl Scouts Council of Greater New York. She serves on the boards of Reporters without Borders, Columbia University’s Alumni Association, the Ad Council, Advertising Week and the Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center.
Maryam earned both her MBA and Masters of International Affairs from Columbia University, and received her undergraduate degree from Barnard College, where she was a Harry S. Truman scholar. Maryam resides in New York City with her husband and two children.
