Charles H. Rivkin is Chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association (MPA), the leading advocate of the global film, television, and streaming industry. The MPA’s members currently include Disney, Netflix, Paramount, Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios, Sony, Universal, and Warner Bros. Discovery.

Drawing on 30 years of experience as a media executive and a leading U.S. diplomat, Rivkin advocates for policies that drive investment in film and television production, protect creative content, and open markets. He champions the economic and cultural power of film and television to communities around the world.  In 2019, Rivkin recruited Netflix to join the association, reflecting the MPA’s increased focus on streaming services and shifting viewer practices. In 2024, Rivkin brought on Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios.

As chief executive, Rivkin is also responsible for the MPA’s iconic movie ratings system, which has served parents and moviegoers for more than 50 years. He also serves as Chairman of the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), the world’s largest content protection coalition dedicated to combatting digital piracy. In 2021, Rivkin received the Spanish National Police Merit Cross — with distinction for content protection efforts — the highest law enforcement decoration bestowed on a civilian.

Prior to joining the MPA, Rivkin served for more than seven years at the highest levels of the U.S. government’s diplomatic corps. He was the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs from 2014 to 2017. He led the State Department Bureau responsible for managing international trade negotiations, intellectual property rights protection, and global internet policy, among other major policy issues. While conducting economic diplomacy for the United States, he visited more than 40 countries and 70 cities around the world.

From 2009 to 2013, Rivkin was the United States Ambassador to France and Monaco. In this role, he guided America’s oldest and one of its largest diplomatic missions, with six constituent posts throughout France and representing more than 50 U.S. government agencies. During his posting, Rivkin was personally awarded the Légion d’honneur with the rank of Commander by the President of France as well as la Grande Médaille de Vermeil de la Ville de Paris by the Mayor of Paris. He was also presented with the U.S. Navy’s Distinguished Public Service Award by the Secretary of the Navy.

Before his government service, Rivkin worked in the media and entertainment sector for more than 20 years. During that period, he served as President and CEO of Jim Henson Company, home to The Muppets and other award-winning film and television franchises and beloved characters. He also served as CEO of WildBrain, where he won a BAFTA Award as an Executive Producer of the hit children’s television series Yo Gabba Gabba!, and Fast Company named him one of the 100 Most Creative People in Business.

Rivkin is a Board member of the American Academy of Diplomacy, the American Film Institute, and Via Transportation Inc. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He received his bachelor’s degree from Yale University in 1984, graduating with distinction in political science and international relations. He received his M.B.A. from Harvard University in 1988.

Urmila Venugopalan is the President and Managing Director for the Asia-Pacific region, where she leads efforts to expand market access, drive industry growth, and strengthen advocacy across one of the world’s most dynamic markets for film, television, and streaming. A seasoned leader operating at the intersection of business, public policy, and global affairs for the past two decades, she brings a strategic vision that bridges commercial priorities with policy imperatives.

Previously, Urmila served as Executive Vice President of Strategy & Global Operations at the Motion Picture Association (MPA) in Washington, D.C., where she was instrumental in aligning the organization’s U.S. and international teams, streamlining global operations, and enhancing coordination across key divisions.

Before joining the MPA in 2017, she served in the Obama Administration as a Senior Advisor and a member of Secretary John Kerry’s Policy Planning Staff, leading initiatives on economic and business affairs to advance bilateral and regional trade, investment, and development. She further honed her expertise in navigating complex global markets at the Albright Stonebridge Group, advising multinational corporations and international foundations on political and regulatory risks in South Asia and the MENA region. Earlier in her career, she was a senior associate and consultant at IHS Jane’s, specializing in geopolitical risk, defense analysis and market intelligence across the Asia-Pacific region.

With a global perspective shaped by living and working in the U.K., the Middle East, and South and Southeast Asia, Urmila brings a deep understanding of international business and policy dynamics. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from McGill University and a Master’s degree from the London School of Economics & Political Science. She is currently based in Tokyo, Japan.

Trevor Fernandes is the Senior Vice President & Deputy Managing Director, Head of Policy & Government Affairs, APAC at Motion Picture Association (MPA) whose global mission is to advance and support the film, television and streaming content industry. 

Working directly with local stakeholders, government bodies and regulatory agencies, Trevor is responsible for developing and advocating policy initiatives which advance the MPA studios’ interests in market access and investment while promoting and protecting creators’ rights. 

An experienced international studio executive, Trevor has broad commercial, business affairs, and finance expertise including over fifteen years in the Asia Pacific region focused on building partnerships with theatrical exhibitors, content distribution and technology providers, and content creators. 

Trevor joined the MPA after a 16-year career at Twentieth Century Fox International where he was the Vice President of APAC Finance and Business Operations based in Singapore. He was instrumental in Fox’s activities related to the 2012 Memorandum of Understanding for theatrical revenue-share films in China and the subsequent implementation of agreements and audit rights under the MOU. He was also closely involved in resolving disputes over customs duty valuation of film imports in countries such as Indonesia. 

Prior to Fox, Trevor spent two years in corporate controllership with The Walt Disney Company.  Trevor started his career in public accountancy at EY in Los Angeles.  He holds Master of Business Administration and Bachelor of Science degrees from the University of Southern California. 

Stephen Jenner is Vice President, Communications, of the Asia-Pacific Region for the Motion Picture Association, whose global mission is to advance and support the film, television and streaming content industry. Stephen manages all communications, public relations and educational outreach projects, with the objective of promoting and protecting the commercial and creative interests of the MPA’s represented studios and Asia’s screen communities.

Prior to his role with the MPA, Stephen worked as a special projects and communications consultant for screen industry associations throughout the Asia-Pacific region. He has also been involved in the film and television industry, both as a writer and producer for a number of television series, screen novelizations, short films, documentaries, and television commercials, winning the Australian Film Institute (AFI) Byron Kennedy Award in 2000 for establishing Inside Film Magazine and the Inside Film Awards.

Stephen has worked with large global media organizations, including Getty Images and image.net Ltd. in several senior Asia-Pacific roles. He held the position of Managing Director of Inside Film Magazine and Executive Producer Inside Film Awards from 1996 to 2001.

Stephen graduated from the University of Leicester in the UK with degrees in English and Philosophy.

Michael Schlesinger is the Vice President & Regional Legal Counsel, Asia Pacific for the Motion Picture Association. In this role, he oversees all legal matters for the organization region-wide.

A recognized expert in international copyright and trade law, Michael joined the MPA in 2015 following a longstanding career in private practice, including acting as a lead counsel to the International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA), a private sector coalition, formed in 1984, of trade associations representing U.S. copyright- based industries working to improve international protection and enforcement of copyrighted materials and to open foreign markets closed by piracy and other market access barriers.

Michael represented an alliance of associations and companies that helped develop and win the first-ever World Trade Organization cases brought by the United States related to intellectual property rights protection and market access barriers in the
People’s Republic of China. Michael also served as an adjunct Professorial Lecturer in Law at the George Washington University School of Law, was on the faculty of the Max Planck Institute’s Munich Intellectual Property Law Center (MIPLC), is widely published, and has spoken frequently around the world to raise awareness and understanding about copyright.

He is licensed to practice law in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the District of Columbia.