Boxoffice - August 2019

TOP WOMEN IN GLOBAL EXHIBITION 2019
WANDA GIERHART
allowing myself to dig in to learn and understand
a new industry and bring my own knowledge and
experience to build upon its success. Throughout
this journey, I am proud that I’ve been able to
develop and grow an already good team to a great
multidiscipline department of marketing experts
by driving a digital transformation and bringing
new thinking to how our organization perceives
digital marketing. I’ve also been able to spearhead
the growth of an already robust e-commerce experience.
The month before I started, Cinemark team
developed Movie Club, an innovative first-to-market
exhibition-led subscription program. When I
began my role, I was able to lead the team to drive
the growth and be a part of relaunching the loyalty
program with Cinemark Movie Rewards in May of
this year, which includes a rebranded free tier Movie
Fan and the paid tier Movie Club. The initiatives
have truly made our loyalty program more cohesive,
understandable, and robust, which in return
creates a valuable experience for our customers.
How would you evaluate the progress women
have made in the exhibition business in the
past few years?
VS: We are seeing more female executives in the
exhibition industry, especially over the last several
years. However, I believe there is still progress to be
made overall. There are still inconsistencies in male
versus female roles across all levels. The industry
is beginning to move
in the right direction
by promoting women
into leadership roles.
Cinemark is focusing in
this area and identifying
top female talent
inside and outside
the organization. Our
industry’s consumers
are so diverse. Industry
leadership and
company makeup
should be as well,
including women of all
different backgrounds
in more high-level decision-making
conversations
from the start.
WG: I believe that
there has been great
progress the past couple of years, but there is still
progress that needs to be made—not only in our
industry, but across all industries. In the last few
years, I’ve witnessed more positive changes and shifts
happening that have helped lead the way for more
change. Here at Cinemark, we have made recent
significant women hires, including three women to
our board of directors and myself as a C-suite executive.
We’ve also developed a mentorship program,
launching this summer, to provide high-potential
women associates at Cinemark with a senior mentor,
with the goal of developing them for potential
leadership positions within the company. Outside of
Cinemark, there have also been recent changes with
our studio partners who have begun to promote
women to the C-suite positions as well. Ultimately,
the tides are turning within our industry, and I
look forward to witnessing the continued growth of
female leaders here at Cinemark and elsewhere.
Tell us about your mentors in this business.
VS: I have been in this business for 20 years
and have had some great mentors along the way,
inside and outside of Cinemark. When I was on
the U.S. side, one of the best pieces of advice I
received came from my colleagues at the studios.
I considered them (and still do) my work family,
and we would consistently bounce thoughts and
ideas off each other. We contributed to each other’s
growth, whether we realized it or not. As my career
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