Sam Barnett is Chief Executive Officer of CME, based in Prague, Czech Republic. He joined CME in May 2025, bringing more than 25 years of international leadership experience across broadcast television, digital media, and streaming.
Before joining CME, Sam served as CEO of MBC Group, the leading broadcaster and video-on-demand platform in the Arab world. He joined MBC in 2002 and was appointed CEO in 2011, overseeing a period of transformational growth. During his tenure, MBC expanded to a portfolio of 15 pan-Arab television channels, strengthened its local market presence, launched the Shahid streaming platform—now the largest in the region—and successfully completed the company’s IPO in 2024.
Earlier in his career, Sam worked in management consulting in the UK and East Africa. He holds a degree in History and Economics from the University of Cambridge and an MBA from INSEAD.
