Executive Council

	KATHRYN JACOB OBE PRESIDENT OF SAWA CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, PEARL AND DEAN LTD UNITED KINGDOM Kathryn is CEO of the Cinema Advertising giant Pearl and Dean in the UK and has been a leader and innovator in the Cinema Medium since her appointment to the role in 2006. In 2016 she co-authored “The Glass Wall,“ a book which addresses career progression for women and for businesses seeking to support female talent. Kathryn sits on the Development Board of RADA and the Council and Board of the Advertising Association.
	JULIAN PINN CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF SAWA FRANCE Julian Pinn is the founder of a group of companies under his own name that provide automated cloud-based content-optimisation services and strategic consultancy services to a wide range of international post-production, cinema, and media clients. Julian has almost three decades of experience in the media entertainment technology space balancing art, science, and business. Over this time, Julian has consulted on hundreds of international film productions over their techno-artistic optimisation for the cinema medium. He is also a respected senior business development and sales & marketing executive with extensive international experience in leading teams of professionals from engineers to marketeers. Julian is a fellow and an active standards member of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers. He is the Chair of the British Standards committee for Cinematography and is the current convenor for the ISO working group on cinema audio standards. He is a full voting member of British Academy of Film and Television Arts and board director of the European Digital Cinema Forum. He holds an Honours degree in Music and Sound Recording from the University of Surrey’s Tonmeister programme and a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) specialising in international marketing and global finance.
	ROB COOKSEY VICE PRESIDENT AND COMPANY SECRETARY OF SAWA UNITED KINGDOM Rob Cooksey recently retired as Financial Director of Pearl and Dean Ltd in the UK. He qualified as a chartered accountant in New Zealand and then moved to the UK where he joined the Cinema Advertising Industry in 1985 with Pearl and Dean in 1993. He had remained with Pearl & Dean through several changes of ownership. He joined SAWA as Company Secretary in 1994 and manages the funds for the Global Trade Body.
	GUY BURBIDGE DIRECTOR OF SAWA MANAGING DIRECTOR, VAL MORGAN CINEMA AUSTRALIA Guy is a skilled commercial director, with extensive experience across various facets of media, from outdoor and digital to cinema and radio, with experience on both agency and publisher fronts. Guy has played a pivotal role in propelling the growth of Val Morgan Cinema. With a robust career spanning over two decades, Guy stands out as a true leader, motivating teams, crafting effective business strategies, and spearheading new business development initiatives, all contributing to his proven ability to drive positive commercial outcomes.
	JAN TORE KRISTIANSEN DIRECTOR OF SAWA CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, CAPA KINOREKLAME AS NORWAY Jan Tore joined CAPA in 2014, as Chief Executive Officer. He has worked the last 20 years in the media industry as CEO and in senior management positions. Jan Tore’s experience includes the traditional newspaper industry, as well as online positions and Cinema. He holds key competencies and interest in development of companies, growth, product development and leading change in organisations.
	KRISTIE PAINTING DIRECTOR OF SAWA EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND MANAGING DIRECTOR, CINEPLEX MEDIA CANADA Kristie joined Cineplex in 2024 as the Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Cineplex Media. In this role, she leads the strategic direction and growth of Cineplex Media’s integrated portfolio spanning cinema advertising, digital out-of-home (DOOH), and digital media solutions, overseeing sales, marketing, operations, and innovation. With over 25 years of media industry experience, Kristie has held several key executive positions, including Country Manager at Pinterest Canada, CEO of Wavemaker Canada, and Vice President of Digital Sales and Revenue Management at Bell Media. Her extensive background in digital transformation spans leadership roles at major technology and media companies including Yahoo! Canada, Olive Media, and Checkout 51.
	JOHN PARTILLA DIRECTOR OF SAWA CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, SCREENVISION MEDIA UNITED STATES OF AMERICA John Partilla is CEO of Screenvision Media, a premier cinema, video, and media organization. Under the first 5 years of his leadership, Screenvision Media experienced 80% organic revenue growth and a tripling of EBITDA profitability. Prior to joining Screenvision Media, Mr. Partilla served as CEO of Olson Group, and EVP, Digital Practice Lead, of ICF International. His 30 year career has spanned across digital, media, and advertising sectors including COO of Dentsu Network West; President, Global Media Sales of Clear Channel Communications; and President, Global Media Group of Time Warner. Prior to his media sector experience, Mr. Partilla spent 18 years on the agency side of the business, rising to Managing Partner of Young and Rubicam. He was also the founder and CEO of Y&R’s Brand Buzz, a digitally driven agency that helped pioneer digital practices and persuasion in its 10 year lifecycle.
	KAREN STACEY DIRECTOR OF SAWA CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, DIGITAL CINEMA MEDIA UNITED KINGDOM Since joining DCM in 2015, Karen has successfully created a vision which has repositioned cinema as a lead AV medium, expanding the business to deliver sustainable long-term growth. Karen has worked in the media industry for over 25 years, holding senior positions at Bauer Media UK and Channel 4. She is also a member of WACL (Women In Advertising and Communications, London), The Marketing Society, a keen supporter of NABS and a member of The Advertising Association’s Front Foot Committee. In 2016, Karen was also honoured as one of Ad Age’s Women to Watch Europe and a ‘Top 50 Women in Global Cinema’ by Celluloid Junkie for the last three years.
	MARIANO SUEZ DIRECTOR OF SAWA DIRECTOR, FILMSUEZ ARGENTINA Mariano Suez is a Director of the Filmsuez company that his father founded 27 years ago. The Company operates in Argentina, Uruguay and Chile. FilmSuez handles 80% of the total Cinema Advertising market in these countries. Film Suez Argentina, Chile and Uruguay are the representative for the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity held in Cannes each year and a member the Screen Advertising World Association (SAWA) since 1984. Mariano sits on the SAWA Executive Council and has done so since Film Suez become a member of SAWA.
	STEFAN KUHLOW DIRECTOR OF SAWA CEO, WERBEWEISCHER GMBH & CO KG GERMANY Since 2016, Stefan Kuhlow is CEO of Werbeweischer GmbH & Co. KG the leading Cinema Advertising company in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Prior to that, he was Managing Director and Head of Digital Business of Weischer.Media GmbH & Co. KG. Stefan gained Out-of-Home experience as a trainee and as an assistant to the manager at DSM Deutsche Städte Medien GmbH in Frankfurt. From 1999-2013 he turned the small start-up Infoscreen into the biggest Digital Out-of-Home Media company in Germany and became CEO of Ströer Digital GmbH before joining Weischer in 2013.
	TOM LESINSKI CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, NATIONAL CINEMEDIA (NCM) UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Lesinski was appointed to the role of CEO in 2019 after serving as both an Independent Director (2014) and Chairman of the Board (2018) of NCMI. Since 2015, he had also served as CEO of Sonar Entertainment, a leading TV production company, after serving as a Sonar Board Director since 2013. His extensive 25-year Hollywood career also includes prior leadership roles as CEO and founder of Energi Entertainment, President of Digital Content & Distribution with Legendary Entertainment, President of Paramount Pictures Digital Entertainment and President of Worldwide Home Entertainment for Paramount, and both Executive Vice President and General Manager of Home Entertainment and Executive Vice President, Worldwide Marketing & Development at Warner Bros. He began his career in advertising, working at industry leaders BBDO, Foote, Cone & Belding, and Clairol Inc.
	LYNNE WYLIE CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER AND SALES EXECUTIVE SOUTH AFRICA Lynne is the Chief Marketing Officer and Sales Executive at the largest cinema exhibitor on the African continent. With over 20 years’ experience in the cinema industry in this dual leadership role, she oversees the full marketing lifecycle—from brand strategy and demand generation to content creation, product marketing, and data-driven analytics. With a sharp focus on growth and customer engagement, Lynne drives cross-functional initiatives that connect storytelling, innovation, and business performance at scale.