Gerrit Meier is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Red Bull Media Network, a multi-platform media company with a focus on sports, culture, and lifestyle with a wide range of premium media products across TV, mobile, digital, audio, and print.
In this role, he is responsible for leading Red Bull’s global content, production, programming and distribution efforts. The network is also home to Red Bull Records, Red Bull TV and other owned, shared and managed digital OTT media platforms featuring a broad selection of global live broadcast events, compelling and inspirational local storytelling with original short and long-form programming as well as feature films from around the world.
Meier has been actively involved in global sports, media and entertainment for more than 20 years and has helped content and distribution companies grow within the context of rapidly changing consumer behavior and a quickly evolving social/digital paradigm.
In addition to Red Bull, Meier has held senior leadership positions at several well-known companies, including WWE, Spotify, iHeartRadio/Clear Channel and Bertelsmann, and has been published on the evolution of disruptive media distribution and emerging business models. He holds business degrees from Harvard University and the European Business School and currently lives with his family in Salzburg, Austria.
As President of International for WWE, he served as an executive officer (NYSE:WWE) and member of the executive board. He was responsible for WWE’s business outside of the USA across all lines of business (television, PPV/network, merchandising and consumer products, live events, social and OTT/digital) and all international offices (London, Munich, Dubai, Mexico, Mumbai, Tokyo, Shanghai, and Singapore).
Prior to WWE, Meier was Spotify’s Global General Manager for Distribution and Partnerships responsible to accelerate Spotify’s organic registration and premium subscription growth through 3rd party relationships like Facebook, Samsung, and Sonos, as well as forging new partnerships with brands like Coca-Cola, Yahoo, and Deutsche Telekom.
Before Spotify, he was the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of iHeartMedia’s (formerly Clear Channel) digital division and a member of the company’s Executive Leadership Team responsible for inception, development and management of the iHeartRadio business and P&L and focused on growing audience and revenue across the company's network of approximately 900 radio station websites, portable devices and other viral distribution points.
He was previously responsible for EMI Music’s digital business in North America and served as Vice President of Global Strategy for the EMI Group, where he was in charge of new business models, digital distribution deals with retail partners and identifying opportunities outside the traditional operational scope of a music company.
Meier also headed Corporate Development for BMG Music in North America and acted as Director of Corporate Development (ZU – Zentrale Unternehmensentwicklung) for Bertelsmann AG in Gütersloh (Germany) and New York where he developed and managed internal initiatives aimed to accelerate operational improvement and the streamlining of business practices. In addition, Meier was a strategy consultant with Accenture’s (Andersen Consulting) Media & Entertainment Practice in London focusing on operational and strategic issues regarding the future of the entertainment industry, digital content distribution and converging media technologies.
