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Elissa Wilding the Chief Executive Officer of Free2view.Prior to this Ms.
Wilding has had a distinguished career within the Advertising and Media World extending over
some 30 years. Her experience and passion in the Broadcast arena goes back to 1991 and her
association with the family of Li Ka-shing, Hutchinson Whampoa asking her to be a part of
the formation of Star TV. Elissa was tasked to build the management team and structure for
the satellite platform for delivering Free to air content to 38 countries.
Star TV, Satellite Television for the Asian Region, launched with five television channels, it
pioneered satellite television in Asia and in the process catalysed explosive growth in the
media industry across the entire region. Coupled with the opening up of Asian economies,
access to satellite television redefined the viewing experience for millions. Providing more
people with more choice than ever before, Star set new standards in content, production and
variety. India is the shining star of Star's Asian operations, driving both growth and
profitability. The network's bouquet of entertainment, movies and news channels now boasts
a prime time viewer ship share that is very interesting. A recipe Elissa intends to repeat in the
continent of Africa for free.
Elissa has been the strategic advisor for a number of entities to get to market. One of the best
examples being the flotation of Chris Ingram’s Media entity CIA Billett re engineering the
whole Senior Management offering within weeks, to become one of the most successful media
flotation’s in the UK, ushering in a Golden Age for Media Independents. The flotation allowed
CIA the funds to grow expediential into Europe and Asia, which in turn further compounded
Elissa’s Global knowledge opening up new offices for them across the World. CIA was in turn
latterly’ bought out by WPP and became one of the worlds most successful advertising groups
in the world, Media Edge CIA – Group M. The association brought Elissa full circle back to the
group that now owned the JW Thompson advertising agency at which she first began her
Advertising career in the early 80’s leaving some years later with a mission to mentor and
further strategic thinking in the industry.
Working and being an important part of an era which has seen the rise of women within the
Media world, one of Elissa’s favoured relationships has been with Sly Bailey the now CEO of
Trinity Mirror. Elissa has known Sly since 1990, they worked very closely for some 4 years
when Sly was Managing Director of IPC Media, preparing the company for change and finally
the Cinven-backed management buyout of the IPC business from Reed Elsevier in early 1998.
Sly Bailey CEO Trinity Mirror PLC
