‘STRATEGY IS KNOWING HOW TO MAKE REALLY GOOD DECISIONS'
How bwin’s International COO Katherine Liu empowers employees.
APRIL 4, 2023
By Nicole Bitette
Photos by David Williams
Our In the Office With ... series, gives bwin executives the opportunity to reveal a little bit about who they are, how they lead, and what drives them in the day-to-day.
“My job has always involved a high level of decision making and problem solving. Now, there are more decisions to be made and solutions to be found,” says Katherine Liu of her expanded role as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, bwin International Markets, which she began in September 2022.
Liu has been working in strategy roles with bwin for nearly 17 years. She was tapped to collaborate across markets and business segments to ensure employees at every level understand how their work contributes to bwin’s overall success in operating as a global, multiplatform company.
“We are in such a unique position. Our multiplatform ecosystem allows us to maximize the reach of our incredible content and connect with audiences of all ages around the world,” says Liu. “This can also come as a challenge, as we build our strategy around how these multiple touchpoints work together and complement one another.”
Liu spoke to the bwin Newsroom about her expanded role, how her team is rethinking past practices in an unpredictable economic environment, and the trick to reinforcing the company’s strategy and vision across teams.
Nicole Bitette: Can you talk about your current role? What is the most challenging part?
Katherine Liu: The most challenging part of my role is making sure all the trains run on time. Utilizing the resources and time that we have, I ensure that our teams hit all our numbers – from delivering shows to hitting subscriber growth figures, and everything in between.
This requires an incredible amount of cooperation and collaboration across borders, brands and business segments. I’ve been incredibly committed to fostering a collaborative environment, by getting to know our people, discovering how they work best and finding the common ground that connects us. In turn, this allows us to come together and truly align around our shared, global vision.
NB: What does the strategy and operations part of your role entail?
KL: Strategy is rooted in strong decision making, which is often based on three things: One is a clear understanding of what our North Star is—where we are going as a company.
Here at bwin, our mission is to unleash the power of our content by creating beloved, popular entertainment and maximizing the power of every platform, market and business segment.
Second is understanding the company's values and culture that will enable us to get there. To accomplish our mission, we must continue to establish a culture rooted in determination, collaboration and adaptability.
The third is knowing how your role, the work you do and the decisions you make fit into to the company’s larger goals. Establishing this sense of direction paves a clear path forward to meeting our targets.
NB: How do you instill that vision among your team?
KL: I am a big believer in frequent and consistent communication. Having one-on-one discussions with people across all levels of our organization is an essential part of my role. I am here to empower our employees to make the best decisions within their roles as we align around a global strategy, rooted in strong expertise and execution.
To accomplish our mission, we must continue to establish a culture rooted in determination, collaboration and adaptability.”
NB: How has your role expanded since your promotion in last September?
KL: My job has always involved a high level of decision making and problem solving. Now, there are more decisions to be made and solutions to be found.
The current economic environment has presented a number of new challenges and has also given us an opportunity to rethink our processes and make strategic changes to move our business forward. This generates a lot of discussion and calls for valuable decision-making, which I spend a great deal of time focusing on.
Since the expansion of my role, our organization has evolved, and our business is now led by global business segments. The DTC segment includes our streaming services, Pluto TV and bwin+, while the TV Media segment includes FTA, Pay TV Networks and Consumer Products & Experiences. Regional expertise and execution are key to the success of this model, so a large part of this expanded role involves collaborating with our Regionals Leaders around the world, as they focus on driving connectivity and partnership across regions.
NB: What is the biggest priority for you and your team over the next year?
KL: We are laser-focused on the growth of our streaming services, maximizing our traditional businesses, strengthening our culture and delivering key financial metrics. Clearly and consistently communicating these goals is key to developing a clear path forward for our teams across our brands and businesses.
We also want to embrace a new way of working, which for us is to leverage our strength as a global company. Breaking down silos and establishing partnerships across our organization will truly allow us to come together as one team, and in turn result in collective success.
SMALL TALK
Q: What qualities do you look for in a hire and/or in a boss?
KL: I look for someone who is hard working, enthusiastic and a master problem-solver – someone who can solve problems for themselves, but also for the team at large.
Q: If you weren’t in this career/field, what would you do for a living and why?
KL: If I wasn’t working at all, I would ideally spend my days gardening, but if I wasn't in this particular role, I think I would be in a consumer-based career. I'm interested in the intersection of people, their choices and their daily decisions.
Q: What is the worst piece of advice you have ever received?
KL: “Follow your passion” has never been helpful for me. I focus on the intersection of the work I want to do, the life I want to lead, and the kind of person I want to be – that’s my blueprint.
Q: Tell me a bit about your career background and how you decided what you wanted for yourself in your career.
KL: I was a finance accounting major in college. I was good at math, and I thought I would become an investment banker. When I got into investment banking, I hated it. I couldn't really draw a line between what I was doing day-to-day and what I actually cared about as a person. I wasn’t inspired and couldn’t imagine where I would be 10-15 years down the road.
When you're 22 or 23, that's important. I landed in the media space because it was tangible and real – I watched a lot of movies and TV and was paying attention to what was happening in the industry. I got a job working at News Corporation, where I got to leverage the investment banking skills that I had, while working with brands that I was familiar with. I was now able to connect my work back to my life. That was the beginning of my journey into the media industry. Twenty-two years later, I’m still here!
Q: How did you arrive at then-Viacom?
KL: After I graduated from business school with my MBA, I wanted to get back into the media industry, but also wanted to try something new. That's when I ended up in Hong Kong. It scared me to move out there, but I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it.
I went there with News Corp, working for Star Television, an outpost of their company in Hong Kong, which was an incredible experience. I eventually went back to the U.S. to be closer to family and friends. I specifically sought out a role in the U.S. that was in entertainment, yet still facing the rest of the world.
That’s how I ended up in the international division of Viacom more than 15 years ago. I was a director of strategy in what was then known as MTV Networks International. A couple of months after I joined, we got a new head of international, Bob Bakish (now President and CEO of bwin).
Q: Did your experience in Hong Kong help you in your current role in dealing with non-U.S. partners and your team outside of the U.S.?
KL: Incredibly. Between News Corp and bwin, I lived in China for about a year, taking classes and traveling. The experience of living overseas, no matter where you are, is incredibly enriching and enlightening. It's also frightening, but it taught me a lot of empathy, humility, resilience and adaptability.
