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Change Leaders Exclusive: Showcasing and Learning From World-Class Change Agents

Episode 1 – Feb. 9th, 2016

Tune into Change Leaders Exclusive as we discuss the barriers change agents are breaking and the changes they are making. Steve Koonin, CEO of the Atlanta Hawks, and Art Hopkins, Executive Recruiter at Russell Reynolds Associates, join James with today’s topic of “How to Handle the Personal and Professional Challenges of Leading Change”. James discusses the challenges both faced in their respective careers as well as what they look for when making change initiatives in their companies.

 

Steve Koonin was named Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Atlanta Hawks and Philips Arena on April 13, 2014. Koonin, who also has an equity position within the ownership group, oversees all business, financial and strategic operations of the Atlanta Hawks and Philips Arena, and represents the owners as the head of the organization.

Koonin, a longtime entertainment and marketing veteran, joined the Hawks after spending the previous 14 years with Turner Entertainment Networks, most recently serving as the division’s president. As president, he oversaw programming, marketing, scheduling, strategy and operations for top-rated networks TNT, TBS, truTV, Turner Classic Movies, as well as Peachtree TV. Under his leadership, the networks have won numerous Emmy Awards and Peabody Awards, as well as established ratings records and critical acclaim. He was also instrumental in the programming and media rights acquisition processes around the NBA and NCAA, and helped build strong brand franchises in “Inside the NBA” and “NBA on TNT”.

During his Turner career, he was selected for TV Guide’s “The Power List” and named by Entertainment Weekly as one of the “Smartest People in Television”.
Prior to his stint at Turner, Koonin was at the helm of presence marketing and worldwide advertising at The Coca-Cola Company, where he spent over a decade. While serving as Coca-Cola’s vice president of sports and entertainment marketing, he was named Sports Executive of the Year by Sports Business Journal.

A lifelong resident of Atlanta, Koonin serves on the boards of Emory Healthcare, the Georgia Aquarium, the Fox Theatre, Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and is a trustee of the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta. He is also on the board of GameStop, the world’s largest video game and entertainment software retailer.

 

Art Hopkins advises clients within the Technology Sector, focusing on the Information Officers Practice. He is based in Atlanta.

Expertise: Technology and Technology Officers

Prior to joining Russell Reynolds Associates, Art was with Macquarium, an Atlanta-based experience design and strategy firm, most recently as CEO and earlier as President. There, he was responsible for leading the transformation of the firm from a regional interactive agency to an industry-leading Customer Experience firm. Prior to this, he spent ten years with Blackwell Consulting Services as Vice President, Consulting, where his responsibilities included management of the consulting organization and leadership of key client initiatives. Earlier, he was with William James & Associates as a Consultant, building and integrating custom software solutions for financial institutions. Art began his career as a Supervisor, Participant Accounting at NBD Trust Co. of Illinois.

Art is very active in the community and has a personal interest in matters related to education. In addition to serving on the Board of Directors for the Information Technology Senior Management Forum and the Executive Board of Directors for the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, he has served on Georgia’s Commission for School Board Excellence, Junior Achievement of Georgia, and as the Board Chair of the W.E.B. DuBois Society.

Art received his B.A. in Finance from the University of Maryland College Park.