Ben Cohen, best known as Ben of Ben & Jerry's, will keynote a WICT NY luncheon event on Oct. 6 -- and will bring ice cream bars and cups for all attendees.
Cohen, and a panel he'll moderate after speaking, will address corporate social responsibility. The panel will feature some top women executives in cable, including Time Warner Cable's Ellen East, National Geographic Channel's Kiera Hynninen and MTV Networks' Alicin Williamson.
The luncheon on Tuesday, Oct. 6, is at the Edison Ballroom in New York City (240 W. 47th St.).
"There is no doubt that video is the medium of our time," Cohen said in a release from WICT NY. "If we are to solve the social and political problems that plague us, it will require cable companies to sponsor, program and promote video that matters."
"Ben & Jerry's epitomizes the topic of this year's event through their many acts of pro-social outreach and community dedication," WICT NY chapter president Suzanne McEvoy said in the release. "The work that Ben, Jerry and the company's employees have achieved is a reminder to all of us in the cable industry to continue to dedicate our time and resources to worthy initiatives. With Ben leading this year's esteemed panel, the luncheon promises to be an event not to miss."
Founded in Vermont in 1977 by ex-hippie friends Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, Ben & Jerry's has made social responsibility and activism a key part of its mission. Through a three-part mission statement that includes profits as only one measure of success, the company has established several key pro-social initiatives, including the Ben & Jerry's Foundation, Free Cone Day, Cowmobile Tours, the Caring Dairy initiative and many others.
Ben & Jerry's makes yearly donations at its board's discretion of over $1.1 million dollars, adjusted upward annually for sales growth and inflation.
For more information about the New York chapter of Women in Cable Telecommunications, visit nywict.org.
