The two-day conference brought together high-ranking representatives of public service media from twelve countries.

First Cadenabbia Leadership Summit for public broadcasters in cooperation with the EBU.

The Cadenabbia Leadership Summit allowed participants to focus on specific aspects.

The exchange of best practice examples for excellent leadership was rated as particularly useful by the participants.

Managers from Germany, Austria and Switzerland provided important impetus and inspiration for discussions on financing models and organisational structure.

Despite differences regarding the status of the public broadcasters in the represented countries, it became clear that the leadership is faced with several comparable challenges.

Leading experts from the media sector and international strategic consultants, designed in cooperation with the KAS Media Programme South East Europe and the EBU a wide-ranging programme for intendants of public broadcasters on the main topics: Leadership challenges in the digital age, cross-media strategies, content management in public service broadcasting, public relations and organizational culture.

The fast-paced digitalization of the media and the growing pressure on public broadcasters to remain competitive in the overall media market is one among many challenges for decision-makers. The future of public service media has been and continues to be questioned, but the current crisis has made the social relevance of public service broadcasting more than clear. Despite a multitude of available sources of information, public broadcasters have been increasingly tuned in across countries. The public's need for reliable and credible information exists. It is the public broadcasters' job to meet this need. But leaders often face headwinds while executing the mission in the form of funding difficulties, political interference, legitimacy problems, structural rigidity, staff shortages, etc.

The Cadenabbia Leadership Summit allowed participants to focus on specific aspects and develop solution strategies with the help of experts in their respective fields. The exchange of best practice examples for excellent leadership was rated as particularly useful by the participants. Managers from Germany, Austria and Switzerland provided important impetus and inspiration for discussions on financing models and organisational structure.

Despite differences regarding the status of the public broadcasters in the represented countries, which should not be underestimated, it became clear that the leadership of these broadcasters is faced with several comparable challenges, which can be overcome more easily through an exchange.

In conclusion, the EBU and the KAS Media Programme expressed their commitment to offering advice and support to all interested public broadcasters from South East Europe and beyond, which was gratefully accepted.

Plans are in the works for another Cadenabbia Leadership Summit in the upcoming year.