Maggie Bellville
VP, Hitachi Consulting
A veteran cable executive and alumna of Charter and Cox Cable, Bellville brings her industry expertise to the consulting realm to powerful results as she advises executives on issues ranging from sustainability to billing integration. She specifically has led the charge for Hitachi to lend its research and development of energy savings products and services, working tirelessly in pursuit of alternative energy solutions for the cable industry. Bellville “would love to see more women making strategy decisions, and especially see them advancing into leadership roles in IT, engineering and finance.”
What sector of cable best demonstrates gender equality? Which can use more enlightenment?
Female executives in cable continue to make great strides in leadership within the areas of public relations, programming and marketing. However, I would love to see more women making strategy decisions, and especially see them advancing into leadership roles in IT, engineering and finance.
What advice would you give your 13-year-old self?
I followed my heart in terms of what I wanted to take in college. I think I’d advise myself to look closer at each new opportunity and suggest starting my own business earlier in my career. The opportunities for technology innovation seem limitless.
What current programming reflects the kind of women’s roles you’d like to see and why?
I loved binge-watching “Game of Thrones.” The story has evolved to really be about strong women building alliances, loyalty and getting others to share in their vision. I do believe with this CableFax honor you can now also address me as “Khalessi” or maybe the more familiar “Khalessi Maggie.” But I think you know who I’m rooting for. Also I like the lead in “Fear the Walking Dead” (Kim Dickey). She makes many hard decisions during the worst of the zombie apocalypse, and that just helps put everything in perspective, doesn’t it? How bad can a bad day at work be, if we’re not fighting zombies?
What is the biggest story in cable this year?
The AT&T-Time Warner acquisition certainly is just huge. But let’s not forget about the incredible execution the folks at doing in creating an entirely new and meaningful brand in Spectrum. I don’t think enough good things can be said or written about the folks guiding the Charter-Time Warner Cable integration. I’d be remiss to not mention the demise of the Cable Show aka INTX, a symbol of the constant need to reinvent ourselves and our companies.
