Geraldine B. Laybourne
United States of America
Trip:
India
Mentoring:
Archana Surana
Business
Chairman of the Board, Kandu
Geraldine Laybourne is a serial entrepreneur in media and technology. Currently she is the chairman and co-founder of Kandu, a kid’s technology company. She founded Oxygen Media in 1999 and served as chairman and CEO of Oxygen Media until she sold it to NBC Universal in 2007.
Geraldine was a cable programming pioneer in the 80’s and 90’s, leading the team that created Nickelodeon and Nick at Nite. She also served as president of Disney/ABC Cable Networks (from 1996-1998) where she ran cable programming for the Walt Disney Company and its ABC subsidiary.
Geraldine has been singled out for her many contributions to the industry. She was ranked No. 1 among the 50 most influential women in the entertainment industry by The Hollywood Reporter in 1996, and named one of the 25 most influential people in America by Time magazine that same year.
She serves on the Board of Directors of Symantec Corporation, and is the Chairman of the Board of Defy Media. She previously served on the boards of Electronic Arts, J.C. Penney, Insight Communications, move.com and Alloy Inc. She is on the Board of Trustees of Vassar College, is a corporate ambassador for Vital Voices, and advises many women lead startup companies. She and her husband Kit, a teacher, producer and author, have two children and four grandchildren.
