Shari Ellin Redstone (born April 14, 1954) is an American heiress, businesswoman, and media executive.[5] She is the non-executive chairwoman of Paramount Global (formerly known as ViacomCBS) and chairwoman, president and CEO of National Amusements, and a former vice chair of CBS Corporation[6] and Viacom.[7] Through National Amusements, Redstone and her family hold majority voting power over Paramount Global and its subsidiaries – CBS, Comedy Central, BET, Showtime Networks, Nickelodeon, MTV and the film studio Paramount Pictures.
Shari Redstone | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Redstone in 2022 | |
| Born | Shari Ellin Redstone April 14, 1954 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Education | Tufts University (BS) Boston University (JD, LLM) |
| Occupations |
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| Spouse | [1][2] |
| Children | 3[3][4] |
| Parent | Sumner Redstone (father) |
| Relatives | Michael Redstone (grandfather) Brent Redstone (brother) |
In 2020, Redstone was named on Time's list of the 100 most influential people in the world.[8] In 2023, she ranked 37th in Forbes list of "World's 100 most powerful women".[9]
Early life
Redstone was born into a Jewish family and is the daughter of Phyllis Gloria Raphael and Sumner Redstone, and the sister of Brent Redstone. Her grandfather was Michael Redstone, who was the original founder of National Amusements, the parent company that now owns the majority of the Redstone media empire. She graduated with a bachelor's degree from Tufts University in 1975. She later received her J.D. degree in 1978 and her LL.M. degree in 1980 from Boston University School of Law.
Redstone practiced corporate law, estate planning and criminal law in the Boston area before joining National Amusements.[10]
Career
1990s–2016
Since 1999, she has been president of National Amusements, one of the top ten movie exhibitors in the United States.[11] Redstone has expanded the company's international footprint and its exploration of new technologies.[12][13][14]
In 2007, Redstone and her father feuded publicly over issues of corporate governance and the future of the cinema chain.[15] Documents have been made public which verify that, as part of a settlement from Sumner's first divorce, all of Sumner's stock is in irrevocable trusts that will be left to his grandchildren.[16]
In 2010, Redstone and her partners purchased the theaters that they had built, and formed Rising Star Media,[17] of which she was chairman, and turned it into the country's top-grossing cinema chain.[18] Redstone and her partners then sold Rising Star Media to Russian theater operator Cinema Park in 2011.[19]
In 2011, Redstone became co-founder and managing partner of Advancit Capital LLC,[20] an investment platform focusing on early stage in media, entertainment and technology.[20] She was a co-chairman of MovieTickets.com (before being sold to Fandango Media in 2017),[21] Inc. and is a member of the board of directors and executive committee for the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO).[21]
2016–present
On February 3, 2016, her father resigned as CBS executive chairman after questions arose about his mental competency. CBS's board then offered Shari Redstone the position of non-executive chair, but she declined.[22] The CBS board announced that Les Moonves replaced Sumner Redstone as chairman.[23] In 2016, Redstone, who at the time was vice chairperson of CBS and Viacom and president of National Amusements (the controlling shareholder of CBS and Viacom), gave the following statement on succession: "my father's Trust states his intention that I succeed him as (non-executive) Chairman at CBS and Viacom, and also names me as a Trustee after his death." She stated that she wanted the chairs of each company to be "not a Trustee of my father's trust or otherwise intertwined in Redstone family matters," and she nominated Les as the CBS chair.[24]
In February 2016, against Shari Redstone's desires,[25][26][27] Viacom's board of directors named Philippe Dauman, already the CEO and president, the chairman, replacing Sumner Redstone.[23]
In January 2018, The Wall Street Journal reported that Shari Redstone was pushing for CBS to merge with Viacom, with Redstone also gathering names for new board members at CBS.[28]
In August 2019, the Associated Press reported that Shari Redstone had become the chair of the board for the reuniting of CBS and Viacom as ViacomCBS, today known as Paramount Global.[29]
In May 2020, she was named as a defendant in a lawsuit filed by the Bucks County Retirement Fund and the International Union of Operating Engineers, over the perceived "destruction of value" caused by the CBS and Viacom merger.[30] In January 2021, a Delaware judge said former CBS shareholders could sue Shari Redstone for pressuring the company to enter the merger,[31] and in 2022, Redstone and Viacom sued a group of insurers for refusing to cover legal bills incurred by the court battle.[32]
In July 2024, it was announced that Redstone would sell to independent film studio Skydance Media, founded by film producer David Ellison, her family's "controlling" interest in Paramount Global, in a merger agreement that would give birth to a corporation valued approximately $28 billion.[33]
Personal life
Redstone married and later divorced Rabbi Ira A. Korff,[34] and they had three children:[1][35]
- Kimberlee Korff Ostheimer, a lawyer who practiced at The Legal Aid Society. She is a 2004 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania who received her law degree from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.[36]
- Brandon Korff, a 2006 George Washington University graduate and real estate developer.[37][38]
- Tyler Korff, a lawyer and rabbi who graduated from Maimonides School and Columbia University in 2008, and received his law degree from Brooklyn Law School.[39][40][41]
Her ex-husband was president and director of National Amusements until two years after they divorced.[1]
She is an observant Jew.[42]
Political views
She expressed support for Israel in the Gaza War, saying: "They’re one of the few nations that really represent a democratic society."[42] In October 2024, she defended CBS Mornings anchor Tony Dokoupil over an interview with pro-Palestinian author Ta-Nehisi Coates about his book The Message.[43]
Philanthropy
As of January 2018, Redstone is a member of the board of directors at Combined Jewish Philanthropies and the board of trustees at Dana Farber Cancer Institute.[21] She is also on the board of directors of The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University[44] and the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation.[45] Redstone joined the board and executive committee of "Our Time", a mass-membership organization that stands for the economic interests and political inclusion of young Americans aged 18–30. She sits on the local advisory board and executive committee for BUILD, a nonprofit organization that uses entrepreneurship to propel low income youth through high school and into college.[46]
References
Further reading
External links
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