Jo Ann Ross, whose prolonged run as the pinnacle of advert gross sales at CBS represented a breakthrough for a girl within the historically male-dominated area, is formally winding down her tenure at Paramount International.
In September 2022, Ross segued to an advisory function, changing into Chairman of Paramount Promoting as John Halley was elevated to President, overseeing day-to-day advert gross sales. On Tuesday, Paramount CEO Bob Bakish knowledgeable workers in a memo that Ross would formally exit the corporate subsequent week after “having helped prime our gross sales workforce for one more robust upfront season.”
Ross had been one of many few division heads from CBS Corp. to stay in cost after the corporate’s merger with Viacom closed in December 2019. Together with the merger integration, the subsequent two years would current Ross and her business colleagues with Biblical challenges in dealing with Covid, which worn out sports activities and manufacturing for months, to not point out wining-and-dining.
Throughout her run at CBS, which coincided with the community’s rise to scores dominance, Ross made a splash annually on the firm’s upfront presentation to advertisers at New York’s Carnegie Corridor. She took evident satisfaction from serving to entrance various over-the-top set items. One memorable one featured her sporting a skirt onto which overt messages like “BUY” and “YOUR AD HERE” had been flashed.
Ross joined CBS in 1992 as VP of Olympics promoting, serving to the community’s efforts for 3 straight Winter Video games telecasts. She later turned the primary girl to guide a broadcast community’s advert gross sales troops and went on to turn out to be the longest-tenured head of gross sales in tv, in keeping with Bakish’s memo.
Ross performed a task in serving to the corporate reap record-setting income and viewership for final February’s Tremendous Bowl, Bakish famous. The highest exec known as Ross “a driving pressure for the development of our firm and the business at massive.”
Right here is Bakish’s full memo:
Group,
As our advert gross sales group continues its momentum, Jo Ann Ross has determined to step down from her function as Chairman of Paramount Promoting on the finish of the month, having helped prime our gross sales workforce for one more robust Upfront season.
Jo Ann has steered our promoting enterprise from one milestone to the subsequent. She oversaw the profitable integration and evolution of our mixed advert gross sales group within the midst of the pandemic. She was additionally instrumental in reimagining our Upfront final 12 months, a format that others have tried to copy. Extra lately, Jo Ann was important in our efforts to ship a historic Tremendous Bowl LVIII that set a document for viewership and gross advert income, topping off a formidable roster of storied Tremendous Bowls since becoming a member of CBS in 1992.
In a profession outlined by “firsts,” Jo Ann has been a driving pressure for the development of our firm and the business at massive. Her legacy is solely unmatched because the longest-tenured gross sales head in tv and the primary girl to function gross sales chief of a broadcast community. Many times, she’s proven a pure capacity to create great worth for our promoting purchasers and for Paramount, tapping into new areas of development and creating game-changing partnerships. From the early days of creating unprecedented model integrations for now iconic franchises like Survivor, to the launch of Paramount+ and the expanded premium streaming video alternative for advertisers, to her integral function within the formation of our ongoing partnership with TNT Sports activities for the NCAA Event, Jo Ann has had an indelible affect that can proceed for years to come back.
A devoted mentor, Jo Ann has paved the best way for numerous others. She was pivotal within the creation of The Alternate, which brings collectively ladies leaders in promoting to foster significant connections and dialog, and the ANA’s SeeHer motion to extend the illustration and correct portrayal of girls and women in media, advertising and leisure. She additionally facilitated the event of Paramount’s Gross sales Affiliate program, an initiative to diversify the gross sales workforce’s entry-level workforce pipeline. Jo Ann’s unwavering dedication to creating a distinction extends to her longtime help of Memorial Sloan Kettering’s annual Cycle for Survival and her work as an lively board member of Reisenbach Philanthropies, the Advert Council, the Worldwide Radio and Tv Society, the Video Promoting Bureau and FourBlock, a corporation for veteran profession readiness.
Above all, Jo Ann cares deeply about her teammates, purchasers and friends — relationships constructed round belief, respect and reliability as hallmarks of her character and trailblazing profession. Her ardour for her work and willpower to win have made Paramount a must-buy and key companion to the most important advertisers on this planet. And, below the continued management of John Halley, the gross sales group is effectively positioned for future success.
I hope you’ll be a part of me in thanking Jo Ann for her unimaginable service, stewardship and contributions to Paramount and our business. We are going to miss her and her infectious humorousness, and we want her the easiest.
Bob