NewsMediaWorks has announced the first of its international keynote speakers for the annual Future Forum conference for news media to be held in September. The speakers are Dow Jones CEO William Lewis, Trinity Mirror commercial director Blanche Sainsbury and Toronto Star editor Michael Cooke.

At the Forum, Lewis will speak on the future of news media, the importance of innovation and revenue diversification. Sainsbury, a leading voice on growing print, online and mobile advertising revenues through leadership and inspiring commercial teams to achieve peak performance, will share her lessons for success plus the challenges for driving commercial practices and ideas across the news publishing sector.

Cooke, considered an intensely competitive journalist who is committed to investigative journalism for social good, will discuss navigating the transition from print to digital news media whilst remaining true to the core values and principles of journalism.

The Future Forum is the annual conference hosted by NewsMediaWorks that brings together news media executives and delegates from around the world for a program of high-profile speakers.

“This year’s Forum has once again attracted world-class speakers, with more to be announced soon. Our international speakers will bring their considerable knowledge and share their insights with our audience of publishers from the Asia Pacific region,” NewsMediaWorks CEO Mark Hollands said.

“The Forum will also culminate in the hotly-contested Newspaper of the Year Awards.”

William Lewis has been chief executive of Dow Jones since January 2014 and is Publisher of The Wall Street Journal – the biggest selling newspaper in the US. He began his career as a reporter for the Mail on Sunday before joining The Financial Times. He has worked with The Sunday Times in the UK and The Daily Telegraph in 2005, was editor-in-chief of Telegraph Media Group, general manager of News International (now News UK) and News Corp chief creative officer.

Blanche Sainsbury is the commercial director of Trinity Mirror, the largest regional media business in England and Wales with 27 daily newspapers, 70 paid for weekly newspapers, 32 free titles, a magazine portfolio and 50 major UK online websites which produce a digital browser audience of 21 million per month. During her 25 year career, Sainsbury has also worked as regional managing director of Devon and Cornwall Media, South Wales Media and Bristol News and Media.

Michael Cooke was appointed editor of the Toronto Star in 2009. Cooke has worked in editor roles in Canada at The Star, The Gazette in Montreal The Edmonton Journal, The Vancouver Province and was a founding editor of Canada’s national newspaper, The National Post. He has also been editor in chief of the Chicago Sun-Times, editor in chief of the New York Daily News, vice-president of editorial for the Chicago Sun-Times News Group and editor in chief of the Sun-Times.

The Future Forum, sponsored by Norske Skog, will be held on Friday, September 2, at The Ivy in Sydney.