Speaker

John Porter

CEO, Telenet

John Porter is a seasoned CEO with over 40 years of experience in the cable television and media industry. His career blossomed in lockstep with the growth of the cable industry and took him and his family around the world. Throughout his career, he has been passionate about advancing diversity, promoting servant leadership, and leading with purpose.

Grasping the potential of cable at the age of 23, John became GM of Group W Cable Systems and was in charge of building out cable networks in the suburbs of Dallas. His leadership qualities resulted in him moving quickly to Mobile Alabama as GM. Upon the sale of Group W, he began his career with Warner Cable in Columbus, Ohio, as VP Operations Northeast region. Subsequently, he became President of the Columbus division Time Warner Cable.

After three years in Columbus and various international assignments, John seized the opportunity to be part of the development of the pay TV industry in Australia. As CEO of AUSTAR, with Liberty Global as majority shareholder, he led the company from its inception in 1995 until its acquisition by Foxtel in 2012.

Since 2013, he has been at the helm of Telenet, the leading provider of telecom and entertainment services in Belgium. Under his leadership, the company has substantially diversified its portfolio, built the largest Giga-network in Europe, made bold moves in media and entertainment, and went through a profound agile and digital transformation. John Porter is generally seen as a trailblazer in the European telecom and entertainment sector.