Tom Kemp, the CEO of Northstar Travel Group, is our first inductee. Tom spans several generations of B2B media theory and practice, having served as a high-profile CEO at various companies since the mid-nineties—and before that as a senior executive at the pioneering Miller Freeman Inc.

Tom took over Northstar in 2019. At that time, its revenue was $30 million, with EBITDA of $4.5 million. Now, revenue is upwards of $120 million and EBITDA is $40 million, a 10-times increase, and this comes even after recovery from the pandemic.

The company’s revenue mix in 2009 was 70% print. In 2023, print is less than 10% of total revenue, with events at 44% and digital revenue accounting for 32% of the total.

Northstar had two events when Kemp joined the company. In 2023, it will produce 115 events in 12 countries, a business greater than $54 million in all, with 25 events coming through 20 acquisitions and the rest through organic launches.

Over Tom’s career, he’s completed more than 100 deals, including three deals at once in 2019.

That Northstar accomplished this evolution across three different private equity owners makes it especially notable. Private equity firms seek returns on short time horizons, and flipping from one owner to the next to the next at some point produces diminishing returns. Northstar was owned by BV Investment Partners when Kemp took over. It was sold to the Wicks Group in 2012, and by Wicks to EagleTree Capital in 2016.

Among Tom’s many awards and recognitions are the MIN Hall of Fame in 2012, McAllister Fellow in 2014, NorthStar Ranked Top Places to Work in Media in 2014, Folio C-Level Visionary in 2015, and Media Business Magazine Top Innovator in Business Media.

But Tom’s impact on the B2B media industry of the last 30 years goes well beyond a list of formal recognitions. He began with a grounding in the old MFI B2B business model. He’s got a singular financial savvy, and he understands the psychology of PE ownership. He’s been a natural leader among his peers for more than 20 years. He’s run some of the best-known, most successful B2B media companies. Tom is at the center of the conversation everyone wants to be part of at business meetings. He’s got a probing intellect, and he’s been a mentor to many.