Speaker Bio
John Nitti is the Senior Vice President of Strategic Partnerships, New Business Development & CIO Verizon Ventures. John is responsible for identifying and optimizing new growth/monetization opportunities for the company in areas such as; 5G Ecosystem, Mobile Edge Compute, Satellite, AI, IoT, Sports, Music, and e-sports. John and his team manage both long term strategic business development, new business model commercialization, as well as manage the larger strategic partnership portfolio for Verizon. He connects entrepreneurs with Verizon’s network of strategic and financial resources to help advance their businesses. John’s scope extends across the Verizon ecosystem including marketing, consumer, business and global network technologies areas of the company.
John is responsible for executing new commercial models, strategic agreements and partner relations. He identifies and assesses advanced monetization opportunities and investments while driving substantial acceleration with Verizon’s top partners. Additionally, John drives impact with key sports and music sponsorships to excel audience coverage, marketing equity, market potential, and technology implementation.
Prior to his current role, he joined Verizon in December of 2015 as Chief Media Officer. He was responsible for activation strategy development and holistic integration across media, digital marketing, sponsorships experiential, trade shows and sales enablement activities. With a commitment to continually drive thought leadership within the industry, John currently serves on several committees including 5G Future Forum, GSMA Strategy Group, and See Her - Hear Her. Additionally, John is a strong supporter of talent & diversity, committed to engaging top talent to build a diverse and inclusive workforce.
In December of 2015, John was awarded by the John A. Reisenbach Foundation for his commitment to public service and his community. In 2013, he co-founded Madison Avenue Rebuilds Staten Island and in collaboration with the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, raised over $270K to help bridge the financial gap for residents rebuilding their homes and lives in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. John actively participates in events that assist United States troops abroad and underserved youth in New York City. Being an alumni and father of a current student (John III), John is also Co-Chair on the Board of the Family Association for St. Joseph by-the-Sea HS which is dedicated to supporting the students, staff, and families of the St. Joseph’s community.
Prior to joining Verizon, John served as Chief Investment Officer for Publicis Groupe’s ZenithOptimedia – Worldwide. While there, he managed the global media investments for clients such as; General Mills, 20th Century Fox, JP Morgan Chase, Kohls, H&M and Toyota. Prior to his time at Publicis, John was a member of the management team for American Express and led their global media & sponsorship marketing efforts. John has also worked at Dentsu, Time Inc. and Young & Rubicam. John holds a Bachelor of Science degree in marketing and finance from Wagner College. He and his wife Noelle and their two sons live on Staten Island in New York.