Shahrzad Rafati, CEO and Founder

Shahrzad Rafati is the Founder and CEO of RHEI, a global technology powerhouse formerly known as BroadbandTV (BBTV). A visionary at the intersection of media and artificial intelligence, Rafati pioneered digital rights management models that transitioned the industry from litigation to monetization, enabling creators and media giants to thrive together. Under her leadership, RHEI reaches over 600 million unique monthly viewers across 150 countries.

In 2025, Rafati spearheaded RHEI's evolution into a "creative operating system" with the global launch of Made, an emotionally intelligent AI platform, and RHEI Data Pro, a groundbreaking licensing solution. These innovations leverage "agentic AI" to amplify human creativity, protect intellectual property, and address creator burnout in the "augmented creativity era". Rafati is also a globally recognized advisor on economic and gender policy. In 2025, she was appointed to the G7 Gender Equality Advisory Council (GEAC) and previously served as Co-Chair of the G20 EMPOWER alliance. Her commitment to a "quadruple bottom line" has resulted in RHEI achieving a verified 0% gender pay gap and 50% BIPOC and female representation at the board level. Honored by Fast Company and The Hollywood Reporter, her accolades include EY Entrepreneur of the Year and the AdAge Visionary Award. An Iranian-born entrepreneur who immigrated to Canada at 17, she holds a B.Sc. in Computer Science from the University of British Columbia.