Hilary Vartanian

Hilary Vartanian is Chief Sponsorship Officer for Festival Napa Valley.

Based in New York, Hilary leads national and global sponsorships, curates bespoke auction lots and patron travel experiences. She has developed Festival alliances with the Kennedy Center, Television Academy Foundation, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Art Basel, Raimat Arts Festival, the Festival Napa China Exchange, and other international trade, cultural, and government partners.

She has held executive corporate management positions at Time Inc., Meredith, Hearst, Conde Nast and as the first female Vice President for Fortune Conferences, where she led development of the Fortune Global Forum, Most Powerful Women Summit (in conjunction with the U.S. State Department), and other Fortune 500 CEO events. She has managed high performing development teams and conducted business across 5 continents.

In 2010, Hilary founded Meris Ventures, a management consultancy that develops strategic partnerships for arts organizations worldwide. Meris Ventures has developed sponsorships for CBS, Cannes, Hamptons, Toronto, Sundance, and New York Film Festivals, the Van Gogh Museum, Sino Americas Forum, Tony Awards, and Spirit Awards among others.

In philanthropy, Hilary led development for two iconic film organizations, The Film Society of Lincoln Center and The Gotham Film & Media Institute. Her "Spotlight on Women Filmmakers" multi-year partnership was featured in a 2013 HBO documentary. Hilary served as a production executive on feature films Hide Your Smiling Faces (World Premiere NY Film Festival) and Write When You Get Work (World Premiere SXSW).  

Hilary holds a BA in English from The University of Colorado, Boulder. She is the editor of Peace Prayers (HarperCollins). In 2023, she was named to the Advisory Board of the University of Colorado College of Media, Communication, Information.