Arthur Wagner: The Visionary Leader Who Quietly Revolutionized Corporate Trade

Congratulations to Bill McGorry on his long and successful tenure heading the Broadcasting ampamp Cable Hall of Fame and to all the 2024 inductees especially my longtime friends and colleagues Janice Arouh Bob Bakish Marianne Gambelli Scott Herman Doug Holloway Steve Lanzano and Debra McConnell Itamp8217s my distinct pleasure to introduce this yearamp8217s Broadcasting ampamp Cable Lifetime Achievement honoree a leader who has certainly earned his place among previous Lifetime Achievement winners the Executive Chairman and Founder of Active International Arthur Wagner Art is joined tonight by his wife partner and very first Active employee unpaid I might add Ellen Wagner Ellen please stand and be recognizedArtamp8217s humble beginnings are a true American amp8211 and New York City story Born and raised in Brooklyn with two large families living in a one family house Art was the youngest child by six years His dad was a custom fur coat maker bringing the furs home to show customers Ironically Art is allergic to fur so needless to say he did not join the family business But he did learn from his parents the value of hard work integrity and personal relationships That work ethic carried him through his early career where he began laying the foundation for what would become Active International Forty years ago Art and Ellen launched their business with little more than a vision of a company that could not only help businesses better manage their financial challenges but also create opportunities for growth through corporate trade It was revolutionary then and thanks to his leadership media trading is an embedded part of our industry todayIamp8217d like to share a glimpse of Art that you wonamp8217t find in the boardroom Some of you may know that Art is an excellent poker player Heamp8217s a regular at the highstakes tables at the MGM Grand and other casinos His mastery of the game is about reading people assessing risk and knowing exactly when to make his move Itamp8217s a talent that has served him equally well in business Artamp8217s mastery is having a seat at the table and playing his cards right whether itamp8217s a poker table or in the world of global corporate financeIn fact I once heard a story where he cleaned out an entire table of some very highrollers all of them in senior executive positions and as they walked away Art said amp8220Well that was fun now does anyone want to talk about corporate tradeamp8221 That blend of competitive spirit and business savvy is quintessential ArtLook corporate trade isnamp8217t a topic that comes up at most industry cocktail parties and to be honest many of us donamp8217t fully understand how it works and weamp8217re the insiders Art has always enjoyed keeping the intricacies of his media trading business just out of reach of the mainstream a bit of a secret sauce that only he fully appreciatesItamp8217s that quiet genius that subtle ability to fly under the radar while reshaping industries which sets Art apart He doesnamp8217t chase the spotlight instead he focuses on results And just like in poker while others are focused on the hand in front of them Art is already several steps ahead always thinking about the bigger pictureWhat truly defines him though is not only his business acumen Art is a amp8220people firstamp8221 leader Heamp8217s built Active International with the understanding that the core of any great company is its people He likes to say amp8220We donamp8217t just trade assets we trade ideas relationships and trustamp8221 That trust has made Active International a multibilliondollar company doing business in fifteen countriesArtamp8217s passion for mentoring the next generation of leaders and his deep belief in the potential of every individual in his organization several who are here to celebrate him this evening is perhaps his most enduring legacy Those who work with him will tell you that Art cares as much about the people he leads as he does about the deals he makes and that is no small feat in a business thatamp8217s all about dealsSo tonight we celebrate not only his professional achievements but also the warmth generosity and character that have made Art Wagner a true icon in our industry Congratulations Art on this welldeserved Broadcasting and Cable lifetime achievement award We are all better for having a seat at your table Please view this brief video and welcome my friend and longtime colleague Art Wagner

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Arthur Wagner: The Visionary Leader Who Quietly Revolutionized Corporate Trade

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Arthur Wagner: The Visionary Leader Who Quietly Revolutionized Corporate Trade

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