Ben Liebmann is the founder of Understory.

With over twenty years’ experience working with many of the world’s leading creators, change makers, brands, and media companies, including the internationally acclaimed Noma, five-times recognised as the world’s best restaurant, film and television production companies Shine Group and FremantleMedia, and record label Warner Music Group, Ben brings corporate development and strategy, media and marketing, and commercial rights management experience to diverse partners and projects around the world.

During his seven years as COO at Noma, the business grew from a single restaurant into a diversified hospitality group. Ben also served as Board Member of MAD, the 501c3 non-profit referred to as “food world’s G-20” by the Wall Street Journal. As Group CEO of Shine 360°, the commercial rights division of Shine Group, founded by Elisabeth Murdoch, Ben worked across the company’s scripted and unscripted portfolio, but is best known for leading the expansion of MasterChef from television franchise into a global brand powerhouse.

Ben is Executive Producer of Omnivore, the eight-part AppleTV+ event docuseries with culinary visionary René Redzepi, acclaimed filmmaker Cary Fukunaga (James Bond: No Time to Die, Masters of the Air, Beasts of No Nation), and global entertainment studio Fifth Season.

Ben has given talks and presentations to Saïd Business School (University of Oxford), National Film and Television School (London), McCarthy Institute (University of San Francisco), Fashion Institute of Technology (University of New York), Constructive Journalism Institute (Aarhus University), and SXSW Sydney, and has participated as a jury member at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

He sits on the Advisory of Two Good Co., a social enterprise that supports, empowers, and employs women with lived experience of homelessness, domestic violence, and trauma, and supports the team at Plate It Forward, a social enterprise that harnesses the power of food to bring people and communities together.

When not working, Ben can be found at a restaurant or concert with his wife and daughter.