Speaker

Zach Seward

CEO of Quartz

Zach Seward is the chief executive officer and a co-founder of Quartz. He became CEO in 2019 after playing a variety of roles related to product and journalism at Quartz. Seward was Quartz’s second employee, helping to build the company, along with many others, and form its unique approach to business journalism. He has been the architect of the company’s award-winning and beloved product innovation, and most recently led the introduction of Quartz membership, the company’s premium offering.

As chief product officer and executive editor, Seward oversaw product management, engineering, design, analytics, growth, community, member experience, and special projects. Previously at Quartz, he was responsible for editorial strategy, oversaw its visual journalism, and wrote about technology and media. He has been widely recognized as a leader in digital journalism, including citations on lists by Forbes, Crain’s New York Business, Digiday, and Folio.

Before Quartz, Seward worked at the Wall Street Journal, first as a reporter covering education and health, then as the newspaper’s first social media editor. Prior to that, he was an assistant editor at Harvard’s Nieman Journalism Lab, covering the media industry.

Moderator

Rebecca Binder, '15

Senior Managing Director, Strategic Initiatives at RFBinder

Rebecca Binder is Senior Managing Director at RFBinder, a communications and consulting firm. At RFBinder, she is responsible for the development and implementation of Strategic Initiatives for the firm. She oversees strategic planning, expansion of products and services to meet emerging client needs, new business development, talent and culture development, operational efficiency, and strategic communications consulting. Over the course of her career, she has worked with Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, international organizations, non-profits, and start-ups. Prior to RFBinder, Binder worked at Innosight, a growth strategy consulting firm, where she advised C-suite executives on developing long-term transformational growth strategies in the face of disruption. Binder was recently recognized as a 2019 Next Gen to Watch by Family Business Magazine for her work at RFBinder. She received her M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and her B.A. with honors in International Relations from Brown University.