Group Black Expands Board with Industry Titans to Further the Mission to Dramatically Change the Face of Media Ownership and Investment

Ursula Burns, Vivek Shah and Seth Kaufman bring their experience and expertise to
Group Black as the Company expands its Board of Directors

NEW YORK, Sept. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Group Black, one of the largest collectives of Black-owned media and diverse creators, today announced it will be expanding its Board of Directors with the addition of Ursula Burns, founding partner of private equity firm Integrum Holdings and former CEO of Xerox; Vivek Shah, CEO of digital media company Ziff Davis, Inc.; and Seth Kaufman, CEO of Moët Hennessy North America. 

"We are honored to welcome Ursula Burns, Vivek Shah and Seth Kaufman to the Group Black board. All three leaders bring a host of business, technology and media experience, as well as expertise in building and scaling successful business endeavors," said Travis Montaque, co-founder and CEO of Group Black. "Additionally, their passion and commitment to creating a more equitable media landscape makes them perfect additions to help further the Group Black mission."

Ursula Burns is the first Black woman to lead a S&P 500 company. During Burns' tenure as CEO of Xerox Corporation, Burns helped the company transform from a global leader in document technology to the world's most diversified business services company serving enterprises and governments of all sizes. Currently, Burns is a member of the ExxonMobil Corporation, Uber Technologies, Inc., Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc., and IHS Holdings Board of Directors.

"As a champion for inclusion across all systems and enterprises, I believe that Group Black will be pivotal in improving the media landscape by empowering more diverse creators," said Ursula Burns. "I am looking forward to working with Group Black to leverage its expertise in elevating content creators of color".

Vivek Shah, CEO of Ziff Davis, is a digital media veteran who has led the transformation of Ziff Davis into a multi-billion-dollar public company. He began his career at Time Inc., where he held various management positions, including President of Fortune and Money. He was instrumental in Ziff Davis' investment in Group Black and its participation in Group Black's 'Uplift' initiative.

"Group Black is a trailblazer in our industry. By partnering with leading media companies and scaling Black-owned brands, Group Black is forging a path to democratizing the media industry," said Shah. "I'm excited to be part of this important effort to diversify the media ecosystem."

Seth Kaufman, CEO of Moët Hennessy North America, is a time-tested global brand building heavy-weight. Kaufman will lend his decades of branding, marketing, creativity, and flawless execution to Group Black as it continues to build a strong presence in the industry.

"I am thrilled to roll up my sleeves to help Group Black transform the media industry, by addressing the systemic inequities that are inherent in the legacy media ownership model. We have already had several exciting meetings to exchange insights and ideas and it is easy to see that my personal passion for diversity, inclusion and equity is very much aligned with Group Black's bold vision for the future of media," said Kaufman.

Group Black is where culture calls home. Group Black is building the largest collective of Black-owned media and diverse creators and is supporting their development by actively deepening the pipeline of media dollars allocated to Black-owned media businesses and facilitating investment in that media and those creators. It is composed of two divisions, Group Black Media and Group Black Ventures, with the simple mission to dramatically transform the face of media investment and ownership. Group Black seeks to connect a diverse generation seeking content and experiences that are reflective of their identity. (www.groupblack.co)

SOURCE Group Black