Jonathan David Klein (born 1960) is co-founder and

Chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

Getty Images Getty Images Holdings, Inc. is an American visual media company and is a supplier of stock images, editorial photography, video and music for business and consumers, with a library of over 477 million assets. It targets three markets— creative ...

, Inc., a global

digital media Digital media is any communication media that operate in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital media can be created, viewed, distributed, modified, listened to, and preserved on a digital electronics device. ' ...

company.

Life and career

Born in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

, South Africa, Klein received a degree in law from

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

. He co-founded Getty Images with former Chairman Mark Getty in March 1995 and since then has led the company's growth from an analog image collection with transparencies, laboratories and print catalogs, to a multibillion-dollar, global digital business. Under Klein's direction, Getty Images has acquired and integrated more than 100 image collections and companies worldwide, including PhotoDisc and

iStockphoto iStock is an online royalty free, international micro stock photography provider based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The firm offers millions of photos, illustrations, clip art, videos and audio tracks. Artists, designers and photographers world ...

. The company also launched news, sports and entertainment coverage, and has grown to include video, music, digital asset management, rights services and assignment photography. In 2005, '' Fast Company'' recognized Klein in its “Fast 50” as a business leader who “will change the way we work and live” and he was named number one on American Photo's list of the “100 Most Important People in Photography.” He received the Suffolk University Sawyer Business School's 2012 award for Global Leadership in Innovation and Collaboration, as well as the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria's Business Excellence for Innovation award. Under Klein's leadership, Getty Images received the first International Center of Photography Trustees Award, for the company's “commitment to the field of photography, through technology and philanthropy, and dedication to the power of photography to create change.” In 13 March 2015, Klein announced his resignation as CEO and voting member of the Executive Board, internally called, "Ex-Com" . On the same day, it was announced that he intended to accept the role, duties and office of Chairman of The Board. On the same day, it was announced that Klein would stay on as caretaker CEO, taking a prominent role in vetting potential replacements. Klein spoke out in several interviews and company communiques against the 2015 Paris, France attacks upon the offices of the satirist magazine, Charlie Hebdo." He serves on the boards of directors of the

Committee to Protect Journalists The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is an American independent non-profit, non-governmental organization, based in New York City, New York, with correspondents around the world. CPJ promotes press freedom and defends the rights of journa ...

and

Grassroot Soccer Grassroot Soccer (GRS) is a nonprofit organization and adolescent health organization. History Grassroot Soccer became a registered 501(c)(3) charitable organization in 2002. Founder Tommy Clark conceived of the idea after playing soccer professio ...

and is chairman of Friends of the Global Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. He is a member of the corporate advisory board of GBCHealth and serves on the boards of directors of Bloom & Wild, the

Groton School Groton School (founded as Groton School for Boys) is a private college-preparatory boarding school located in Groton, Massachusetts. Ranked as one of the top five boarding high schools in the United States in Niche (2021–2022), it is affiliated ...

, Etsy,

, Getty Investments and Squarespace.

References

External links

GettyImages website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Klein, Jonathan 1960 births Living people American computer businesspeople American businesspeople in the online media industry Alumni of Trinity Hall, Cambridge People from Johannesburg Businesspeople from New York City South African Jews