Louise Sams

Event Chairs

Louise Sams is executive vice president and general counsel for Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS, Inc.) and president of Turner Broadcasting System International. In this capacity, she oversees the company’s legal matters worldwide, which include acquisitions and joint ventures; production and clearance of content for Turner Broadcasting’s news, entertainment and animation networks; protection of the company’s intellectual property; and litigation and employment matters. Sams directs a staff of some 90 lawyers located in Atlanta, Los Angeles, London, Hong Kong, Seoul, Mumbai, Delhi, Tokyo, Sydney, Buenos Aires and Sau Paulo.

She also oversees the production, distribution and ad sales relating to all kids and entertainment networks and media services offered by Turner outside of North America; the distribution and commercial operations of CNN’s international services; all of Turner’s international joint ventures; and all licensing and merchandising activity of Cartoon Network and certain other networks outside of North America. Sams is based in Atlanta and reports to Phil Kent, chairman and CEO, TBS, Inc.

Prior to joining TBS, Inc. in 1993, Sams was a corporate associate at White & Case in New York. She represented various domestic and international clients in the negotiation and documentation of acquisitions, strategic mergers, dispositions, joint ventures and private and public securities offerings in the United States and abroad.

Sams earned a bachelor of arts degree at Princeton University, graduating magna cum laude, and a juris doctor degree from the University of Virginia School of Law, where she was executive editor of the Virginia Journal of International Law. She serves on the boards of trustees of Princeton University and The Westminster Schools and the board of directors of the High Museum of Art. Sams received the Inspiration Award from the Atlanta chapter of Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT) and was named by Business to Business magazine among the most influential business women in Atlanta. She is a 2007 honoree of the Trickle Up Foundation and was named by National Law Journal among the 50 most influential women lawyers in America.