Bloomberg Media CEO Karen Saltser says you need to ask the “silly” question in the room to see success, whilst allowing colleagues to shape the kind of leader you want to be.
Saltser joined Bloomberg in 2010 as a divisional chief financial officer having previously held leadership roles at Time Inc. She became CEO of Bloomberg Media in 2023.
What gets you out of bed in the morning?
The people. I genuinely love coming into the office to be around the entire team, and I’m constantly inspired by the breadth and depth of their expertise. There’s always something smart and creative happening – launching a product like our new digital video destination earlier this year, bringing people together through our live events, or developing new ways to tell stories and reach audiences.
I also find it motivating to see how committed our group is to the purpose behind the work. They’re thinking about the people we serve who rely on us not only to know what is going on across our world, but also to understand the context behind it.
Seeing that combination of talent, meaningful work and the constant willingness to try new things is what keeps me energised.
How are things going right now, what’s working?
Our business is growing, and so is audience consumption. That growth is being driven by a few things that are at the heart of Bloomberg in every market globally: trust, the urgency of ‘live’ and a uniquely deep stable of video.
We’ve continued growing our subscriptions business, which is up 10% year-over-year in revenue, and building more direct relationships with our audiences. So we’re focused on continuing to deepen that relationship with more than 730,000 subscribers through our products and experiences.
Live is working incredibly well – that includes video, audio and our events business. BLive events are a great example of what happens when you combine editorial with the trust and influence to bring leaders together in real life. The eighth Bloomberg New Economy is taking place in India for the first time in October. There’s Screentime on the business of media & entertainment in Los Angeles. Our Bloomberg Invest series is expanding to new international markets. That’s just a select few, but the range overall is compelling.
Video is another area where we continue to see momentum. Watch time is increasing across platforms, and we’re experimenting with different formats across live coverage, original programming and short-form video. As people spend more and more of their time with video, there’s real opportunity in the 60 million unique viewers we reach on average every month.
What has been your proudest achievement?
Raising four kids while simultaneously building a fulfilling and rewarding career certainly ranks up there! There have been many times when balancing it all has been challenging, but I’ve always strived to be involved and present for both my family at home and my teammates at work. I hope the people in my life would say I’ve achieved some degree of success at that.
When it comes to leading a team, what works for you?
For me, leadership starts with a sense of responsibility. As the CEO, I rely on an extremely smart group of colleagues, but I’m ultimately responsible for every aspect of where we’re going as a business, and for making sure our team has what they need to get us there.
So I’m listening to the people around me and hopefully giving them the confidence and space to do their best work.
There’s also a broader responsibility that is particularly important at Bloomberg, because our clients and audiences are making market-moving decisions based on our journalism, data and insights. That creates a real sense of purpose for me as a leader, building an organisation where our teams can do their best work while continuing to deliver something genuinely valuable to the people who rely on us.
Who or what inspires you and why?
Colleagues and leaders at every stage have taught me things that shape how I think about business and the kind of leader I want to be.
I’m grateful that I’ve had the opportunity to work closely with our founder Mike, whose desk is a few feet from mine. There’s a screen nearby that we can all see, with real-time insights from around the firm, and he says: “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.” That applies not only to running a business, but to any impact you’re trying to have.
Ultimately, the most inspiring lessons are often the ones you pick up through proximity. You learn from how people approach a problem, make a decision or respond to a challenge. Those experiences have made me a better leader and businesswoman, and they continue to shape how I do things today.
What is your work mantra?
Be bold and learn to live with some discomfort. Earlier in my career, I’d sometimes hesitate to ask a question or share my point of view. Then someone else would voice exactly what I’d been thinking, and colleagues would nod in agreement or say: “That’s a great question.” I’d be so annoyed with myself for holding back. Over time, I’ve become much more comfortable being the person who asks the “silly” question in the room. Turns out it’s usually something others want the answer to as well!
One other piece of advice I usually share is to ask for what you want. It may not be the right time, and you may not get the answer you’re hoping for, but there’s no downside to having the conversation, and you may end up earning consideration later on simply by making your preferences known.
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