Gary Shapiro is president and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)®, the U.S. trade association representing more than 2,000 consumer electronics companies, and owning and producing the world's largest annual innovation tradeshow, the International CES®.
Shapiro led the industry in its successful transition to HDTV. He co-founded and chaired the HDTV Model Station and served as a leader of the Advanced Television Test Center (ATTC). He is a charter inductee to the Academy of Digital Television Pioneers, and received its highest award as the industry leader most influential in advancing HDTV. He focused on the need for and led the effort to obtain the 2009 cut-off date of analog broadcasting.
As chairman of the Home Recording Rights Coalition (HRRC), Shapiro led the manufacturers' battle to preserve the legality of recording technology, consumer fair use rights, and opposing legislation like PIPA and SOPA, harmful to a robust Internet.
Shapiro has held many exhibition industry leadership posts, and received the exhibition industry's highest honor, the IAEE Pinnacle Award.
He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Northern Virginia Technology Council and the Economic Club of Washington. He sits on the State Department's Advisory Committee on International Communications and Information Policy. He has served as a member of the Commonwealth of Virginia's Commission on Information Technology and on the Board of Visitors of George Mason University. Shapiro also has been recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a "mastermind" for his initiative in helping to create the Industry Cooperative for Ozone Layer Protection (ICOLP).
Shapiro leads a staff of 150 employees and thousands of industry volunteers and has testified before Congress on technology and business issues more than 20 times. In 2012, and in prior years, Washington Life magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in Washington. Under Shapiro's leadership, CEA also annually wins many awards as a family friendly employer, one of the best places to work in Virginia and as a "green" tradeshow producer.
Shapiro authored CEA's New York Times bestsellers "Ninja Innovation: The Ten Killer Strategies of the World's Most Successful Businesses" (Harper Collins, 2013) and "The Comeback: How Innovation will Restore the American Dream"(Beaufort, 2011). Through these books and television appearances, and as a regular contributor to the Huffington Post,Daily Caller and other publications, Shapiro has helped direct policymakers and business leaders on the importance of innovation in the U.S. economy.
Prior to joining the association, Shapiro was an associate at the law firm of Squire Sanders. He also has worked on Capitol Hill, as an assistant to a member of Congress. He received his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center and is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate with a double major in economics and psychology from Binghamton University. He is married to Dr. Susan Malinowski, a retina surgeon.
To listen to the interview, click on this MP3 file link
DISCUSSION:
Interview Time Index (MM:SS) and Topic
:00:26:
Gary, can you share highlights and useful lessons learned from your long successful history of leadership, setting standards and changing policy?
:01:26:
As an internationally recognized top leader, what are your top leadership tips?
:03:21:
What are your 3-year goals for the CEA and how will they be implemented?
:07:14:
Earlier you talked about the international CES and it's a premiere event in the world. Can you talk about some of your longer-term goals for that event?
:08:53:
What are your views on global challenges and their solutions?
:11:21:
What are your top tips for innovation and entrepreneurship?
:14:24:
What areas continue to surprise you?
:16:44:
You have already mentioned some innovations in prior questions. Are there any other disruptive innovations that you see coming up?
:19:29:
What are the top growth regions internationally based on your experiences?
:22:24:
What kind of improvements would you like to see in policy in the next two years in your country and internationally?
:24:30:
If you were conducting this interview, what question would you ask, and then what would be your answer?