Lori LeBas is senior vice president, affiliate partnership development and operations for Disney Media Distribution. In this role, she provides technical and operational expertise to the platform distribution team, leading efforts in defining cross-functional business requirements for new products as well as project management. She leads engagement with departments across The Walt Disney Company and with distribution partners on product integration and existing service expansion.

Prior to her current role, LeBas served as senior vice president, strategy and business operations for the company’s sales and marketing division. Her responsibilities included oversight of the global advertising sales operations team responsible for all post-sales processes for television, digital and magazine and oversight of the global affiliate operations team responsible for all post-sales processes for content distribution for television and digital platforms.  She also provided financial support and oversight for affiliate sales and marketing and ad sales and operational support for research and marketing.

Previously, LeBas was senior vice president, affiliate operations and syndication sales overseeing ESPN syndication sales, and the overall operations management of Disney and ESPN Networks Affiliate Sales and Marketing. She was responsible for expenses, revenues, capital forecasts and budgets. She also worked in conjunction with ABC CNG Finance and ESPN Finance. Previously, LeBas was vice president, business planning and syndication sales, and was responsible for overseeing and developing ESPN’s network affiliation agreements, affiliate agreements for new products and services, forecast and budgeting, as well as management reporting, regulatory compliance and ESPN networks’ transport activity.

LeBas joined ESPN in 2000 as director, affiliate sales development and operations, responsible for, among other things, helping develop, pricing and packaging policies for ESPN’s domestic networks and overseeing ESPN relationships with the national cable television cooperative (NCTC), which represents over 12 million subscribers. Prior to joining ESPN, LeBas held a variety of positions at SNET, lastly as President of SNET Personal Vision, Inc., the company’s cable subsidiary. She also held marketing positions at The Connecticut Ballet and Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival.

LeBas is a graduate of the Betsy Magness Leadership Institute and has also successfully completed the CTAM Executive Development Program at Harvard University. She is a mentor in the ESPN and ABC Mentoring programs. She is a member of WICT and a supporter of the T. Howard Foundation and NAMIC. Lori is currently the Executive Champion for ESPN’s Young Professionals Employee Resource Group.  In 2012 Lori was named by MultiChannel News as one of the twelve annual recipients of its Wonder Woman Award, recognizing significant contributions to the cable industry.

LeBas received her undergraduate degree in Economics and German from Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Mass.

-30-