Media Executive John French Partners With SIIA to Drive Strategy and Expand Media-Industry Services
French will serve as senior advisor working to accelerate member engagement and grow events
Washington, D.C. – February 28, 2025 – The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) announced today the highly respected B2B media executive John French is partnering with SIIA Media as a senior advisor to support Managing Director Tony Silber in expanding member services and more effectively serving B2B and related media sectors. French will work with the team to accelerate member engagement, enhance education benefits and grow events and recognition programs as well as the CEO Council.
French brings decades of experience driving digital transformation and revenue growth at top industry organizations including serving in CEO roles at PRIMEDIA B2B, PRISM and Cygnus Business Media.
“We’re thrilled to partner with John to help SIIA build a stronger B2B media community,” said SIIA President Chris Mohr. “His deep industry expertise and strategic vision will be invaluable as we grow.”
Added Silber, “John’s track record of driving success in B2B media makes him an incredible asset to our team. His insights will help us innovate and explore new ways to serve our industry.”
Known for scaling businesses and transformative restructurings, French is ideally positioned to expand SIIA Media’s membership and division strategy. The objective is to drive strategic growth and enhance the SIIA Media ecosystem, ensuring that it delivers greater value to all industry professionals, from editors, marketers and sales teams to the C-suite.
“Throughout my long career I’ve been a strong supporter of SIIA, BIMS and the Neals both as part of SIIA and in their previous iterations which run back all the way to the early 1900’s.” said French. “I am excited to help build the kind of professional resource that proved invaluable to me during my career.”
Malicious Cyber Actors are Using AI. Countering Them Requires Bolstering Private Sector AI Leadership and Strengthening Public-Private Collaboration.
by Paul Lekas and Bethany Abbate
To date, while much discourse on malicious use of generative AI has been largely speculative, a recent report from Google, Adversarial Misuse of Generative AI, provides a glimpse into real world national security threats involving generative AI.
The report details efforts by government-backed threat actors to misuse AI for malicious cyber and information operations purposes. Cybercriminals in China, for example, have used AI products to conduct reconnaissance and streamline research to find vulnerable targets. In Iran, government-backed actors have leveraged generative AI models to launch large-scale phishing attacks targeting Americans. Russia-backed actors have used AI to enhance malware attacks against U.S. organizations.
While U.S. companies remain well-positioned to counter these security threats, the extensive activity of state-backed malicious actors is cause for concern. As threat actors become more sophisticated and AI tools become increasingly powerful, our national and economic security require a coordinated public-private effort to protect the digital ecosystem. U.S. policymakers must invest in AI and cyber to maintain the current lead our nation has over cyber threat actors and secure the future of national security. This will require a strong partnership between the federal government and the private sector in different areas – from investments in R&D to trade policy – to power innovation and protect American consumers.
Part of this is tapping into the range of tools the federal government has to counter state-backed malicious actors. Strategic use of export controls, tariffs, and sanctions, along with improving mechanisms for public-private information sharing and coordinated action with like-minded nations are fundamental. Public sector support for the build out of infrastructure like data centers is imperative for the United States to maintain the edge in AI and cyber and stay ahead of threat actors.
Additionally, it is essential for the federal government to rethink how it adopts and deploys new technologies. AI has immense potential to strengthen national security capabilities while improving efficiency and reducing costs – but only if agencies can acquire and integrate it effectively. However, outdated procurement processes continue to slow down the adoption of AI and cloud technologies essential to raise the government’s capabilities. Without reforms that make it easier for agencies to acquire cutting-edge tools and reduce reliance on outdated legacy vendors, government operations will continue to lag behind the private sector and miss out on critical innovations.
The U.S. cannot afford to take its AI and cybersecurity leadership for granted. To remain competitive in an era of rising cyber threats and adversarial misuse of AI, policymakers must prioritize AI investment, streamline procurement processes, and foster collaboration between government and industry. SIIA continues to advocate for policies that ensure the U.S. remains a global leader in AI innovation and cybersecurity. By prioritizing forward-thinking policy solutions that balance security, economic growth, and technological advancement, we can safeguard both American consumers and national security interests in the digital age.
The time to act is now. Ensuring the U.S. stays ahead of emerging threats requires a commitment to policies that fuel AI innovation rather than hinder it. As adversaries increasingly leverage AI to enhance their cyber operations, we must double down on what has long been America’s strength as a global leader of the technology sector.
Advertising and Event Revenue Adds to Agri-Pulse’s Core Paid Subscription Business
The last time we wrote about Sara Wyant, founder and publisher of Agri-Pulse, a digital media company covering agriculture and food-policy issues, she was hosting a hybrid event on Agri-Pulse TV at Washington, D.C.’s famed National Press Club. A virtual audience of 1,200 joined a few who came in-person—it was just after the pandemic—to hear big names in the field.
Since then, Agri-Pulse has continued to grow, and Wyant has named a new editor so she can “spend more time on our events and thinking about future growth opportunities.”
At BIMS 2025, Wyant will be speaking on a panel for the session The Solutions Caucus: How (and Why) B2B and B2C Approaches to Similar Challenges Diverge with Eric Hoffman, CEO, Hoffman Media, John Temple, president and CEO, Guideposts, and David Saabye, CEO, Golden Peak Media. See the full BIMS agenda here.
An investigative reporter who has written many groundbreaking stories, Wyant has covered almost every farm and food-policy debate since the 1980s. She served as the first female chairwoman on the Farm Foundation’s board of trustees and as president of the American Agricultural Editors Association.
SIIA Media Alert recently conducted a Q&A with Wyant.
How do you determine what resonates most with your audience and the balance of content that you should have?
We have a very good understanding of our community of readers and viewers and share this information with our staff on a regular basis. But we also pay close attention to open rates and overall site traffic. Our brand promise is, “Balanced Reporting. Trusted Insights,” and we work hard to make sure that we are delivering on that promise with different political points of view, as well as opposing views on specific topics.
Where are events for you now and what lessons have you learned in the post-pandemic landscape?
We do several different types of events including full-day policy meetings, webinars, roundtable discussions, salon dinners—just to name a few. They are great for publicizing our brand to wider audiences and have also generated significant additional revenue. For full-day events, we look for high-profile speakers throughout the day, with panel discussions in between. One of the things we have learned is that a lot of preparation before the event goes a long way in keeping the discussions flowing and on time. We have also learned that networking is an important component for our participants, and we need to leave enough time in our schedules to make sure there is adequate time for a lot of important side conversations.
What other revenue sources are going well for you?
Paid subscriptions are still core to our business and continued to grow last year, but we have also grown our advertising base and event revenues. We launched a news show called Newsmakers in 2022 and it is gaining a great deal of momentum with viewers and advertisers.
Is social media a big thing for Agri-Pulse—and if so, which platforms do you focus on?
We are on X, Facebook, Instagram and Linkedin, but we’ve seen the most growth and engagement on Linkedin.
How do you divide your time?
I named Philip Brasher as editor last year, and it’s freed me up to spend more time on our events and thinking about future growth opportunities. There’s really no shortage of good ideas we could pursue, but we try to focus on those that can provide the best all-around ROI with our relatively small staff. We have the biggest editorial team covering food and agriculture in Washington, D.C. and Sacramento, but there are only eight editors and a handful of freelancers.
Thanks Sara! See you at BIMS 2025!