Anette Schaefer

Anette Schaefer is CEO of EIT Culture & Creativity, a Knowledge and Innovation Community funded by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT). She joined as a Co-CEO in October 2024 and became the standalone CEO in April 2025. Under her leadership, EIT Culture & Creativity drives innovation, entrepreneurship, and societal impact across the Cultural and Creative Sectors and Industries (CCSI), operating through six Regional Co-Location Centers in Finland, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Austria, and Slovakia.

Anette has over 20 years of experience in the global Telecommunications, Media, and Technology (TMT) sector across the US, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. She specializes in business case development, commercial and technical due diligence, market research, and consumer marketing strategy, with deep knowledge of the global media, entertainment, and broadband industries.

Until 2019, she served as Vice President, TV Business Europe at Deutsche Telekom AG, overseeing 5.8 million subscribers and €750 million in annual turnover. In August 2019, the World Economic Forum nominated her as a leading expert for its Industry 4.0 Initiative for the Media & Entertainment group. She also serves on the boards of Vionlabs (Sweden), AdScanner (Croatia), and other emerging technology companies.

Previously, Anette founded BIG Picture, a digital media analyst and advisory firm, and held senior roles at Industry Analyst firm Yankee Group in London. She began her career in the US as a management consultant for clients including Disney, NBC Universal, Bertelsmann, Liberty Global, and AOL Time Warner.