Paul Richardson

Marking his 10th year at ESPN, Richardson has overseen the growth and maintenance of ESPN’s diversity initiatives. From February 2011 through February 2017, he served as the first-ever chief diversity officer for the Walt Disney Co., in which capacity he launched numerous programs and initiatives, and architected Disney’s signature Heroes Work Here Veterans Initiative, Global Workplace & Women’s Initiative and a growth initiative targeting US Hispanics. Of course, he always has his eye on the evolving sports media landscape, too. “One of the most dramatic differences continues to be the increased proliferation of options for both programmers and viewers to distribute and consume this content,” he says. “Live sporting events give us a strong advantage in a time-shifted world and we are seeing its impact in a number of ways.”