Susan Ross, EVP/GM of Specialty Television, Corus Entertainment, Toronto

Susan Ross knows kids. She was an original member of YTV’s management team responsible for building the brand as VP, marketing. Today, as the head of specialty television, her some of her audience reach has become significantly older, with W Network, CMT and Discovery Kids some of the channels added to her portfolio, but she continues to have the Midas touch. Specialty ad growth numbers were up 12% and subscriber growth up 11%, according to numbers released by the company in April.

Some of Ross’ previous career highlights include launching YTV’s web site, which today boasts over 9 million page views each week, and its annual survey, the YTV Tween Report. Later, she led the North American launch of Treehouse TV, the first channel dedicated to preschoolers in 1997 when she was VP, GM, of children’s television. Naturally, she’s gained recognition over the years: in 2004 she was honoured with Canadian Women in Communications’ Woman of the Year award.

Beyond the boardroom:

* Ross serves on the Board of the Alliance for Children and Television and Concerned Children’s Advertisers.

* She’s also a member of Cable in the Classroom and the Canadian Television Fund