Salutes Gordon Hughes

Gordon Hughes has had an indelible impact on b2b media during his 16 years leading American Business Media. He started as CEO at ABM after a career in advertising and TV production—field experience that made him a skilled salesman of fresh ideas. One of his first steps toward reform was to change the company name from American Business Press, giving the company a new focus for the digital age and, ultimately establishing it as b2b media’s home base, as it were—an association dedicated to making business information media relevant and profitable, come what may. Among his banner initiatives are the Business Information Network, an ad tracking system; and the Timothy White Award for editorial courage and integrity. Hughes is leaving ABM this July and returning to an early love—the entertainment industry (in which he has family roots). Before Hughes heads to Broadway to start Direct From Broadway Productions, an LP fund for a portfolio of theatrical productions, min caught up with him—and with a few longtime colleagues who pay tribute to ABM’s leader.

Q&A With Gordon Hughes

Back to min's 2010 Sales Executive of the Year Awards

'Disarming Style, With a Hand in Your Pocket'

“Gordon’s focus on leading and inspiring transformation in the media industry was instrumental in transforming ABM itself. Under his guidance, ABM led the way in expanding its focus into new media platforms, and in building a foundation for the next generation of business media. He has had a true commitment to helping to motivate and develop the next generation of business media leaders, too. I saw this personally in the work he did with the Business Press Educational Foundation, but also in his focus on recruiting young professionals to work at ABM and then giving them the reins to create new programs, such as the video program and the new ABM newsletter, both of which are terrific resources.” —Tonia Ries, Founder/CEO, Modern Media

“Gordon has worked constantly on behalf of the membership. No task has been too small. For example, each year he personally got directly involved in all of the events that the association put on for its members. He made certain that they would add value and that they would help member companies move forward in a fast-paced, ever-changing business information industry.” —James A. Casella, formerly with Reed Business Information

“Gordon focused on defining what the best practices were by talking to key members and then presenting those best practices in the form of professional development seminars and white papers and original market research and, particularly, digital advertising trends. This made a difference and gave the members a sense that they had an organization giving them the bleeding-edge perspective on a critical market change.” —Hugh Roome, President, Scholastic International

“Around 1997, when I was chairing the annual ABM meeting, Gordon conceived the idea of creating ‘Dancing Carroll Dowden’ to kick off the convention. He hired a professional tap dancer with a body build similar to mine...The dancer did a vigorous routine. Immediately upon his leaving the stage, I entered, with one arm in a matching red-and-white jacket, acting a little out of breath pretending to be the hoofer and exchanging the costume for a business suit. To this day, some people remark on my fancy footwork. ” — Carroll Dowden, former board member and Chairman of ABM; currently Chairman of Wainscot Media

“I always had fun and pleasant interactions with Gordon; he would call and say, ‘Let’s have lunch, I have this great idea for a conference.’ Of course the next sentence was, ‘Can JEGI sponsor?’ And we usually did because whatever the idea was, it was a good one. Gordon always was a revenue driver for ABM… He never missed an opportunity to build ABM. And he did it with such disarming style that one never realized his hand was in one’s pocket.” —Wilma Jordan, Founder/CEO, The Jordan, Edmiston Group, Inc.

“I think Gordon Hughes has even his socks ironed. He is the most impeccably dressed man in New York City. And no matter how tense a rehearsal, how late the arrival of one of his presenters, he’s smiling, every hair and pants crease in place. ABM wouldn’t be here without him.” —Judy Lotas, Partner, LPNY Ltd.