Beth Arnholt
VP, Integrated Talent Management, Comcast Corp.
Arnholt creates partnerships across Comcast NBCUniversal focused on shared talent priorities that shape the future of the organization. These include strategies and programs to attract and develop talent and influence strategies that impact the company’s pipeline, brand and culture. She is honored to be a “big sister” in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program and to mentor women in the Women of Tomorrow mentor and scholarship program. “The speed at which technology allows us to offer new products changes the game,” she says. “I’m also interested in watching how deals like the Comcast-Netflix deal affect the landscape around content delivery.”
What advice would you give your 13-year-old self?
As I’ve grown I see how important it is to appreciate me for who I am. We all bring something to the party, and at 13 I spent too much time beating myself up for what I wasn’t, versus giving myself credit for what I was. I know now that I was by far my worst critic. I didn’t need to be good at everything, I just needed to be good at being me. Now I work to bring diverse teams together and show them the power of their combined strengths.
Which current programming best reflects the kind of women’s roles you like to see and why?
I am a fan of the dramas that depict highly intelligent women working in challenging, and often stereotypically non-female, careers. Extra bonus points for those that can fully develop the character to show that being strong and successful doesn’t mean you have to be perfect. Right now “Blindspot,” “Quantico,” and “Blue Bloods” have my attention – each show has multiple female characters that young girls can look up to.
What’s been the biggest story in cable this year?
The biggest story for me this year is that there are too many stories to pick just one. During my presentations to new hires I use the line “when I started in this industry we were trying to decide whether a new product idea could be monetized, it was called the internet”. Fast-forward to today and I wake up every morning to big changes. The speed at which technology allows us to offer new products changes the game. I’m also interested in watching how deals like the Comcast/Netflix deal affect the landscape around content delivery.
