Hearst Leadership
Asset Publisher
Leadership
MEDIA CONTACTS
Steven R. Swartz became president and chief executive officer of Hearst, one of the nation’s largest global, diversified information, services and media companies, on June 1, 2013, having worked for the company for more than 20 years and served as its chief operating officer since 2011.
Hearst’s major interests include global financial services leader Fitch Group; Hearst Health, a group of medical information and services businesses; Hearst Transportation, which includes CAMP Systems International, a major provider of software-as-a-service solutions for managing maintenance of jets and helicopters; ownership in cable television networks such as A&E, HISTORY, Lifetime and ESPN; 35 television stations; 24 daily and 52 weekly newspapers; digital services businesses; and more than 200 magazines around the world.
Swartz, 62, is a member of the Hearst board of directors, a trustee of the Hearst Family Trust and a director of the Hearst Foundations.
He was president of Hearst Newspapers from 2009 to 2011 and executive vice president from 2001 to 2008. From 1995 to 2000, Swartz was president and chief executive of SmartMoney, a magazine venture launched by Hearst and The Wall Street Journal in 1991 with Swartz as founding editor. Under his leadership, SmartMoney magazine won two National Magazine Awards and was Advertising Age’s Magazine of the Year.
Swartz began his career in 1984 as a reporter with The Wall Street Journal after graduating from Harvard. He served as an editor on the Journal’s Page One staff from 1989 to 1991.
Swartz is chair of the board of directors of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. He has also served as Lincoln Center Corporate Fund chair for 10 years and as a Lincoln Center board member for 11 years. He is a vice chairman of New York-Presbyterian Hospital, where he also chairs the budget and finance committee. Swartz completed in January of 2023 a three-year term as co-chairman of the Partnership for New York City, where he continues to serve on the executive committee of the board. He served a five-year term as chairman of the Associated Press from 2017 to 2022. He is a member of the board of directors of ESPN and is a member of the Business Roundtable.
William R. Hearst III is chairman of the board of Hearst, one of the nation’s largest diversified media and information companies. Hearst is a grandson of company founder William Randolph Hearst.
The company’s major interests include magazine, newspaper and business publishing, cable networks, television and radio broadcasting, digital businesses, TV production and distribution, newspaper features distribution, business information and real estate.
William Hearst has been a director of Hearst for more than 30 years and is a testamentary trustee under the will of William Randolph Hearst. He is president of the William Randolph Hearst Foundation and a director of The Hearst Foundation, Inc., having been actively engaged in the charitable activities and programs of the Hearst Foundations for the last 20 years.
Hearst is also a partner emeritus at the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. Prior to joining KPCB in 1995, he served for 10 years as editor and publisher of the San Francisco Examiner, which was then owned by Hearst. Hearst began his career with the Examiner in 1972 as a reporter and assistant city editor. He moved on to Outside magazine but subsequently rejoined Hearst, first at the Los Angeles Herald Examiner and later as vice president of Hearst Cable Communications.
In addition to the board of directors of Hearst, he serves on the boards of the Corporation of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (the de Young and the Legion of Honor), SageMath and the French-American Foundation. He previously served on the boards of Carnegie Institution for Science, University High School, FORA.tv, The Center for Investigative Reporting, Scripps Research, California Academy of Sciences and the San Francisco Film Society. He is also the publisher of Journal of Alta California, a quarterly print magazine. Hearst is a 1972 graduate of Harvard University, holding a bachelor’s degree in mathematics. He has remained active in the field of mathematics with the Mathematical Science Research Institute and is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Hearst has recently been appointed an associate in mathematics by the Department of Mathematics at Harvard University.
Frank A. Bennack Jr. is executive vice chairman of Hearst, one of the nation’s largest private companies engaged in a broad range of publishing, broadcasting, cable networking and diversified media and information activities. He is also chairman of the company’s executive committee, a director of Hearst and a trustee of the Hearst Family Trust, established under the will of William Randolph Hearst. In addition, he sits on a number of corporate committees and the Hearst Foundations board, where he has served for more than 40 years.
Bennack served as Hearst’s CEO for more than 28 years. He directed the company through an unprecedented period of growth. He began his first tenure as CEO in 1979 and served in that capacity through 2002. He returned to the CEO position in 2008 and served through June 2013, when he stepped down. During his tenures, revenues increased 14 times and earnings grew more than 30 times. Today, Hearst comprises some 360-plus businesses and 20,000 employees.
Under his leadership, the company launched three leading cable networks with its partner ABC (now the Walt Disney Company), A&E, HISTORY and Lifetime and invested in the ESPN family of networks, now in 190 countries and territories. On Bennack’s watch, Hearst marched toward diversification and global expansion, including its nearly $1 billion acquisition in 2011 of Lagardère’s 100 international magazine titles outside of France, its purchase of healthcare information leader MCG and ownership of global ratings agency Fitch Group and the acquisition of multiple newspapers, including the Houston Chronicle and the San Francisco Chronicle. Bennack was also instrumental in the decision to create what today is Hearst Television, Inc., one of the nation’s largest non-network-owned television station groups, which operates 33 television stations. During his tenure, Hearst launched such magazines as Country Living, Food Network Magazine, HGTV Magazine, Marie Claire and O, the Oprah Magazine.
Bennack is the author of Leave Something on the Table, sharing insider anecdotes and hard-won lessons of an American success story, incorporating his encounters with U.S. presidents, industry leaders, top editors, news influencers and broadcasters, among others. The book highlights the core principles he stuck to and the wisdom he gained.
Bennack has received honors from the American Heart Association and the Inner-City Scholarship Fund of New York. His industry awards include the Gold Medal from the International Radio & Television Society in 1991, the Trustees Award (EMMY) from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in 1993, the 1997 Center for Communication Award, the Distinguished Public Service Award from the Advertising Council in 1999 and the 1999 Distinguished Service Award from the National Association of Broadcasters. He was inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame In 2017; in 2007, he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is past chairman of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and is chairman of the Paley Center for Media. Bennack is a director of the Ralph Lauren Corporation and formerly served on the boards of JPMorgan Chase and Wyeth pharmaceutical company.
EVE BURTON
Executive Vice President & Chief Legal Officer, Hearst
Co-Founder & Chairwoman, HearstLab
Eve Burton is an executive vice president and the chief legal officer of Hearst, a leading global, diversified information, services and media company. Hearst’s major interests span cable entertainment, interactive and emerging digital media, local broadcast television, magazines, newspapers and real estate as well as business information companies that create and deliver content, analytics and workflow solutions for the finance, healthcare and transportation industries worldwide.
Burton is a member of Hearst’s board of directors. She has overall responsibility for legal services to all Hearst businesses globally and manages privacy compliance, labor relations and government affairs. Burton has been one of Hearst’s leaders in establishing strategic enterprise deals with partners and working on mergers and acquisitions for the company. She is also a member of Hearst’s Venture Committee, which invests in emerging health, transportation and digital companies on a global scale. The group has grown to become one of the most active and successful corporate venture funds with more than $1 billion invested to date.
Burton co-founded and oversees HearstLab, which invests in women-led early-stage companies with the goal of creating large cash-flow positive companies and facilitating innovation and a creative and collaborative culture at Hearst. HearstLab’s portfolio, which includes dozens of companies, is currently collectively valued at over $2.5 billion.
Burton serves on the board of directors of Intuit, Inc. Previously, she was on the board of directors of AOL until its sale to Verizon. She is also on the board of directors of A+E Networks, a cable and entertainment company that Hearst owns with the Walt Disney Company, and KUBRA, a payments services company. She is a member of the advisory board for the David and Helen Gurley Brown Institute for Media Innovation at Stanford and Columbia Universities and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Before joining Hearst, Burton served as vice president and chief legal counsel at Cable News Network (CNN), where she oversaw all legal matters relating to news and other programming on CNN networks and websites. From 1995 to 2000, Burton was at the New York Daily News as the deputy general counsel. She began her career at the law firm of Weil, Gotshal & Manges after serving as a law clerk for the Hon. Leonard B. Sand in the United States District Court of New York. Burton was a Fulbright Research Scholar at Thammasat University in Bangkok.
The Hearst legal group has an initiative dedicated to the ongoing protection of First Amendment rights for its journalists and the preservation of a free press. The group was awarded a lifetime First Amendment Award from the Reporter’s Committee for Freedom of the Press. Burton has won the Fulbright Award for her international work. She was also named an Outstanding Woman of the Bar by the New York County Lawyers’ Association.
RICHARD P. MALLOCH
Executive Vice President for Business Media, Hearst
Richard P. Malloch is executive vice president for Business Media at Hearst. He is a member of the Hearst board of directors and serves on the subsidiary boards of Fitch Group and CAMP Systems.
Malloch joined Hearst in 1991 and has held a number of leadership positions across the company. He previously served as senior vice president of Hearst and president of Hearst Business Media, which delivers business data and software solutions to the financial, health and transportation industries worldwide.
In the late 1990s, Hearst sold its consumer book business (William Morrow and Avon Books) to HarperCollins. Malloch looked to reinvest the proceeds from the sale and build a business information and software operating group. Traditionally, Hearst’s trade publishing was based on print products with significant revenue generated from advertising. Malloch changed the strategy and business model, moving the group toward revenue generated from subscriptions and licensing fees.
The Business Media companies have shown substantial growth in the past 20 years. Internal growth and product enhancements have been coupled with approximately $10 billion of focused acquisitions. Business Media companies are now a major contributor to Hearst’s performance and contribute approximately 40 percent of the company’s profits. Key acquisitions for Business Media include Fitch Group, CAMP Systems, Homecare Homebase, MCG Health, Noregon Systems and Zynx Health.
Prior to joining Hearst, Malloch served as a principal in the New York office of Morgan Stanley & Co., where he was involved in corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions. Malloch has devoted most of his professional life to working with companies in the communications and technology industries. He was actively involved in expanding the Morgan Stanley media franchise to include cable television, cellular telephones and information technologies. Malloch also helped to develop the media practice in Europe and Asia.
Malloch serves on the National Park Foundation (NPF) board of directors, appointed by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior. The NPF is a congressionally chartered nonprofit partner of the National Park Service.
MITCHELL SCHERZER
Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer, Hearst
Mitchell Scherzer is an executive vice president and chief financial officer of Hearst. He is also a member of the Hearst board of directors and is a testamentary trustee under the will of William Randolph Hearst. Scherzer is a former investment banker who has concentrated most of his 20-plus-year banking career in the communications, media and entertainment industries.
Scherzer began his career at Goldman Sachs in 1989, ultimately serving as co-head of its media group. While at Goldman Sachs, he gained experience on a range of corporate finance and M&A transactions across a variety of sectors in the media and communications industries.
Scherzer joined JP Morgan as a managing director in 2002. He went on to head U.S. Media Investment Banking, where he led JP Morgan’s investment banking initiatives in the media industry. Scherzer was a strategic adviser to industry leaders in publishing, broadcasting, cable, television, satellite, financial information and telecommunications.
Scherzer completed his undergraduate studies at McGill University and obtained a master’s degree from the Wharton School.
JORDAN WERTLIEB
Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, Hearst
Jordan Wertlieb was promoted to executive vice president and chief operating officer of Hearst in May 2023. Previously he was a senior vice president of Hearst and president of Hearst Television since 2013. He is also a member of the Hearst board of directors.
Wertlieb moved to the company’s New York City headquarters in January 2011 as an executive vice president of Hearst Television. He held management oversight responsibility for Hearst Television’s stations, digital properties and two radio stations across 26 U.S. markets. During this time Hearst Television expanded substantially in original television and digital programming and its stations earned numerous regional and national journalism and community-service honors. Hearst Television was recognized in 2022 by the Ad Council with a Catalyst Award for outstanding support of Ad Council public service campaigns, and by Broadcasting & Cable magazine in 2019 as Station Group of the Year and in 2022 as Multiplatform Broadcaster of the Year.
Wertlieb is a past chairman of the National Association of Broadcasters’ (NAB) joint board of directors and of its television board. He currently serves on the board of the NAB Leadership Foundation. He is a member of the A+E Networks board and serves as a vice chair of the Broadcasters Foundation of America board. He is a past president-chairman of the NBC affiliates board.
Wertlieb began his television career in 1986 as a research analyst at New York-based Katz Communications where he later became a sales account executive representing various Hearst television stations among other clients.
In 1993, Wertlieb joined Hearst’s WCVB-TV, Boston, eventually becoming local sales manager. In 1999, he was promoted to general sales manager of WBAL-TV, Hearst Television’s NBC affiliate in Baltimore, where, in 2005, he became the station’s president and general manager. During his tenure there, the station further solidified its position as Baltimore’s No. 1 TV station and earned many of television journalism’s highest honors.
In March 2024, Wertlieb was awarded the Golden Mic Award by the Broadcasters Foundation of America, whose mission is to improve the quality of life for men and women in the radio and television broadcast profession who find themselves in acute need. In 2023, he was recognized with the First Amendment Service Award from the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA); the award honors professionals in local or network news who work in an off-air, management capacity. In 2021, Wertlieb was recognized by the National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE) with its Lew Klein Award for Leadership and by the Library of American Broadcasting Foundation (LABF) for lifetime achievement during the LABF's Giants of Broadcasting & Electronic Arts awards ceremony. In 2018, he was inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame, preceded by his induction into the Maryland D.C. Delaware Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2015.
Wertlieb holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and is a graduate of the NAB Broadcast Leadership Training program and the Hearst Management Institute
JAMES M. ASHER
Senior Vice President & Chief Development Officer, Hearst
James M. Asher is a senior vice president and the chief development officer of Hearst. He joined Hearst in October 1997 and served as chief legal officer of Hearst for over 20 years. He is a member of the board of directors of Hearst, Fitch Group and CAMP Systems and is a testamentary trustee under the will of William Randolph Hearst.
As chief development officer, he is engaged with Hearst’s senior operating teams in new ventures, acquisitions and internal business development efforts. He is also co-chair of the Hearst Ventures investment committee.
Asher joined Rogers & Wells, an international law firm, in 1974 after graduating from New York University School of Law with a juris doctor degree. He was named a partner of the law firm in 1981, was appointed the firm’s managing partner in 1990 and became chairman of the executive committee in 1994.
KATHERINE BARNETT
Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Hearst Television
Katherine Barnett was promoted in 2019 to senior vice president of human resources for Hearst Television after having served as vice president of human resources for Hearst Television since June 2013. She joined the company in 2012 as senior director of human resources. She oversees the company’s efforts in the areas of recruiting, personnel management and employee relations, and has significantly expanded the company’s efforts in the areas of diversity and military recruitment.
Previously, Barnett served as human resources director for the Institute for Systems Biology. Before that, she served for more than four years as human resources manager for Hearst’s Seattle Post-Intelligencer and as acting HR manager for Hearst Seattle Media (Seattlepi.com). Prior to her work in Seattle, she served for more than nine years as a human resources specialist for Hearst’s Houston Chronicle and, previously, as program coordinator for the YMCA of downtown Houston.
Among numerous volunteer activities, Barnett is the Board Chair for the Emma Bowen Foundation. She previously served on the boards of C2HR (Content & Connectivity Human Resources) and the Seattle Society for Human Resource Management, and in Houston as a Young Life leader.
Barnett holds a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology from Texas A&M University and a senior professional in human resources certification from the Human Resource Certification Institute.
MICHELLE P. BENNETT
Chief Human Resources Officer, Hearst Health & Transportation
Michelle Bennett is the chief human resources officer for Hearst Health and Transportation.
Bennett joined the company in 2017 to lead the HR function for Hearst Business Media. Most recently, she transitioned into an executive leadership role at Hearst as part of the human capital management team. Previously, Bennett served as chief human resource officer at STV, Inc. and led the human resource function for the Americas at GHD.
Bennett’s career in human resources spans more than 25 years. Throughout this time, she has been dedicated to growing businesses, building teams and creating learning programs that impact employee engagement.
Before joining Hearst, she provided leadership in executing HR strategy at engineering and information technology companies in areas that included company culture, employee training and development, total rewards, change management and organizational and performance management, along with supporting company growth through mergers and acquisitions.
During her tenure at GHD, she played a key role in growing the Americas offices from 300 employees to over 4,000 employees in a five-year period. At STV, she implemented several programs that directly impacted employee engagement and retention.
Bennett is a member of the New York City Junior League and Advancing Women Executives (AWE), a national leadership program for senior executives with a mission to accelerate the careers of women in business. Bennett was selected as one of New York Business Journal’s 2018 Women of Influence for the Greater New York metropolitan area. She also serves as a scout for HearstLab, which nurtures and invests in early-stage, women-led startups that innovate across media, business information and technology disciplines.
She is a graduate of Northeastern University with a bachelor’s degree in organizational and interpersonal communication and holds an M.B.A. from Syracuse University in human resource management.
KAREN BISGROVE
Vice President, Human Resources, MOTOR & Black Book
Karen Bisgrove leads human resource operations for Hearst Transportation, which includes Black Book, Canadian Black Book and MOTOR Information Systems. Her responsibilities include recruitment, compensation, employee development and performance management in the U.S. and Canada.
Bisgrove’s background spans over 20 years of business operations and HR roles in a variety of industries including retail, logistics and IT services.
She holds an M.B.A. from St. John Fisher College in Rochester, New York, and currently resides with her family in Flowery Branch, Georgia.
KENNETH A. BRONFIN
Senior Managing Director & Head of International Investments, Hearst Ventures
Kenneth A. Bronfin is senior managing director of Hearst Ventures, the corporate venture capital unit of Hearst.
Bronfin joined Hearst in 1996 and has held a number of leadership positions at the company. He previously served as president of Hearst Interactive Media and Technology Group, which led Hearst’s efforts in digital media alongside the company’s media operating groups.
Under Bronfin’s leadership, Hearst Ventures has grown to become one of the most active and successful corporate venture funds in the world with more than $1 billion invested to date. Hearst Ventures currently operates in the United States, China, Europe and Israel. In addition to Bronfin’s role driving the growth and success of Hearst Ventures, he acts as a strategic resource to Hearst businesses as they pursue their own digital operational and M&A strategies.
Previously, Bronfin was with NBC for over 10 years, where he served as general manager of NBC’s digital television group, a founder of the Interactive Media Group and vice president of NBC Cable and Business Development. Bronfin began his career as an engineering manager at an early-stage marine technology business in New Orleans.
In addition to his responsibilities serving on the boards of Hearst Ventures’ portfolio businesses, Bronfin also serves on the board of directors of Hasbro Corporation, as well as a broad array of civic, educational and not-for-profit social services boards.
Bronfin holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Virginia and a master’s degree in business from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
REGINA BUCKLEY
Chief Financial and Strategy Officer, Hearst Magazines
Regina Buckley is chief financial and strategy officer of Hearst Magazines, the world's largest lifestyle publisher with a portfolio of more than 25 brands in the U.S., 175 websites and more than 200 magazine editions worldwide. In this role, Buckley oversees the financial and strategic planning processes across the business.
Buckley joined Hearst Magazines in 2022 from Guardian News & Media LLC, where she served as president of the North American division.
Previously, she was chief financial officer and chief operating officer for the division, a position she held since 2018. During her time with Guardian North America, she helped reimagine the sales strategy, led the development of market differentiation pillars and delivered key operating strategies such as the business’ diversity, equity and inclusion plan. Over the course of her tenure, the division reported profitable growth every consecutive year.
Buckley has more than 20 years of experience in media publishing. Prior to joining the Guardian, she held several senior level roles at Time Inc., including leadership of digital strategies and partnerships for the company, plus financial and strategic oversight of many of the company's top brands.
Buckley is a graduate of Vassar College. She currently resides in Manhattan with her husband and two children.
DAVID CAREY
Senior Vice President, Public Affairs & Communications, Hearst
David Carey is senior vice president of public affairs and communications at Hearst. In this role, Carey oversees corporate communications as well as sustainability, diversity, equity and inclusion and corporate citizenship reporting. Previously, Carey served as chairman of Hearst Magazines after serving as president from 2010 to 2018. In 2019, he became a fellow at Harvard University’s Advanced Leadership Initiative, an annual university-wide program that selects a small group of senior executives from around the world to spend two semesters on the Harvard campus studying solutions to large-scale societal problems.
During Carey’s tenure, Hearst Magazines doubled in size with the 2011 acquisition of more than 100 magazines in 14 countries from Lagardère SCA, a 2018 acquisition of Rodale’s global media assets, and new joint ventures with Scripps (now Warner Bros. Discovery) and other leading technology companies. Carey also expanded Hearst's leadership position in its B2B services platforms unit, via the acquisitions of customer experience management solutions companies KUBRA and iFactor.
Previously, Carey was group president at Condé Nast, where he oversaw the company’s media properties targeted to executive audiences. He was publisher of The New Yorker from 1998 to 2005, returning it to profitability after years of losses. Earlier in his career, Carey was the founding publisher of SmartMoney, a joint venture between Hearst Magazines and The Wall Street Journal.
Carey serves as a trustee of the Whitney Museum of American Art. He also serves on the board of directors of Harvard Business Publishing and is a member of the advisory board of the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. He is a former director of Hearst, as well as the Harry Winston Diamond Corporation. He is a 1985 graduate of UCLA, where he began his media career as publisher of UCLA’s The Daily Bruin.
Alexandra Carlin is vice president of communications at Hearst. In this position, she oversees communications and colleague engagement as well as corporate events and philanthropy, community impact and special projects.
Prior, she served as vice president of public relations for Hearst Magazines, managing media strategy for the division and its brands, including consumer and trade publicity and overall brand reputation.
Carlin joined Hearst Magazines in August 2006 as director of public relations, managing strategy, media and key partnerships for a variety of brands, including Food Network Magazine, Good Housekeeping, Harper’s BAZAAR and O, The Oprah Magazine.
Before joining Hearst, Carlin was director of public relations for cable network Court TV, now TruTV, where she handled public relations for the channel’s primetime programming. Prior to that, she worked in promotions marketing at The New York Times, developing multi-platform programs and sponsorships for The New York Times, The New York Times Magazine and their partners in the fashion, media, international and technology categories. Earlier in her career, Carlin was vice president at LaForce & Stevens, a public relations firm specializing in fashion, beauty, media and luxury brands, handling publicity, partnerships and producing large-scale events and promotions including runway shows and film screenings.
Carlin is on the board of the T. Howard Foundation, an organization dedicated to diversity in media. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Pennsylvania.
CARLTON J. CHARLES
Senior Vice President, Treasury & Risk Management, Hearst
Carlton J. Charles is senior vice president of treasury and risk management at Hearst. In addition to his duties as corporate treasurer, Charles oversees the risk management activities of the company through his role as chairman of the Risk Working Group, which he helped start at Hearst. He is responsible for the company’s insurance operations and is heading up an effort to further diversify the company’s roster of vendor partners. Charles also serves as the chairman of Level Up Ventures, a venture capital unit within Hearst focused on Black and Latino entrepreneurs. Charles is a member of the Hearst board of directors and is on the board of advisors for HearstLab, Hearst’s platform for nurturing early-stage, women-led companies.
Charles also serves on the board of BUILD, which teaches entrepreneurship to youth in underserved communities. He also serves on the board of M&T Bank as a member of the Nomination and Governance Committee. He was on the board of trustees of St. Thomas Aquinas College and previously served on the board of the Bronx Preparatory Charter School, where he briefly chaired the Audit Committee. Charles is a member of the Executive Leadership Council and National Association of Corporate Directors, where he is a governance fellow.
In 2011, Charles joined Hearst as vice president and treasurer, overseeing treasury, risk management and insurance. Prior to Hearst, he was most recently senior vice president and chief operational risk officer at Moody’s Corporation, an SEC regulated company. Charles was an early architect of Moody’s Enterprise Risk Management program and regularly reported to the Moody’s board on treasury and enterprise risk topics.
Charles holds an MBA in finance from the University of Chicago, and a master’s in public policy and a bachelor’s in quantitative economics from the State University of New York at Stony Brook.
DEBI CHIRICHELLA
Senior Vice President, Hearst
President, Hearst Magazines
Debi Chirichella is senior vice president of Hearst and president of Hearst Magazines, the world's largest lifestyle publisher with a portfolio of more than 25 brands in the U.S., 175 websites and more than 200 magazine editions worldwide, after serving as executive vice president, chief financial officer and director of global operations for Hearst Magazines. Chirichella is a member of the Hearst board of directors.
She joined Hearst Magazines as senior vice president and chief financial officer in November 2011, overseeing the company’s strategic financial planning and reporting. Previously, Chirichella spent seven years at Condé Nast, where she served in a number of executive positions. From 2008 until early 2011, she was chief operating officer of Condé Nast Digital; simultaneously, beginning in 2010, she was COO of the Fairchild Fashion Group. Before that, she was chief financial officer of Condé Nast Publications.
Earlier in her career, Chirichella held several high-level planning, finance and operations roles at Primedia, and most recently, she served as CFO/COO at Prometheus Global Media.
Chirichella is a graduate of Princeton University and received her master’s degree in business from Harvard University.
THOMAS D. CROSS
Senior Vice President, Hearst
President, Hearst Transportation
Thomas D. Cross is a senior vice president of Hearst and the president and group head of Hearst Transportation, which includes aviation and automotive data and software companies CAMP Systems International, Black Book, MOTOR Information Systems and Noregon Systems.
The mission of Hearst Transportation is to provide business-critical information and services that advance transportation uptime.
Cross has held a variety of senior leadership positions across Hearst’s transportation businesses for over two decades, including serving as executive vice president of Hearst Transportation, president of Black Book and president of MOTOR Information Systems. He joined Hearst after a long career at Ford Motor Company, where he held senior positions in sales, customer service, marketing research and advanced product planning.
Cross was inducted into the National Independent Automobile Dealers Association (NIADA) Ring of Honor in 2013 and the National Auto Auction Association (NAAA) Hall of Fame in 2018. He holds a master’s degree in business from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business.
Adwoa Dadzie is chief people officer of Hearst Magazines, the world's largest lifestyle publisher with a portfolio of more than 25 brands in the U.S., 175 websites and more than 200 magazine editions worldwide. In this role, Dadzie oversees the division’s people and culture department, which comprises the HR business partner, people operations and talent acquisition teams.
Dadzie joined Hearst Magazines in 2022 with more than 15 years of experience working across various functions in human resources. Previously, she served as vice president, head of people experience, for the fitness and lifestyle brand SoulCycle.
Prior to that, Dadzie was vice president of human resources for Comcast Cable, where she was responsible for designing the global employee experience and partnering with leadership on performance management, talent strategy and cultural and organizational health.
In 2007, Dadzie joined the human resources team at PepsiCo, gaining valuable knowledge in the consumer product industry, before joining Nestlé USA and later Nestlé Waters, where she held several senior-level human resources roles.
Dadzie is a graduate of Trinity College and received her master’s degree in Industrial Organizational Psychology from New York University. She currently resides in New Jersey.
DENIELLE G. DEWYNTER
Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer, Hearst Health
Denielle deWynter is the senior vice president and chief financial officer of Hearst Health and is responsible for all aspects of the group’s financial strategies, processes and operations in the U.S. and globally. Hearst Health includes FDB (First Databank), Zynx Health, MCG, Homecare Homebase and MHK. Hearst also holds a minority interest in M2Gen.
The mission of Hearst Health is to guide the most important care moments by delivering vital information into the hands of everyone who touches a person’s health journey. Care guidance from Hearst Health reaches the majority of people in the U.S.
DeWynter’s 20 years in global finance have been characterized by delivering global growth and performance across rapidly expanding businesses through strong relationship building and partnerships. Her expertise spans financial and operational transformation, financial planning and performance improvement.
In 2015, deWynter joined Hearst as a vice president of finance for its business media holdings and was quickly elevated to chief financial officer. She is a director of MHK and serves on the advisory board for HearstLab. In the decade preceding her Hearst appointment, deWynter held several leadership positions at S&P Global in global finance operations, global risk assessment, international reporting, financial operations and internal controls. Previously, she held positions at HSBC and Deloitte in London, Düsseldorf and Vancouver.
DeWynter is a member of the Canadian and British Columbia Institute of Chartered Accountants and received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Simon Fraser University in Canada.
JONATHAN R. DONNELLAN
Senior Vice President & Co-General Counsel, Hearst
Jonathan R. Donnellan is senior vice president and co-general counsel of Hearst, a leading global diversified media, information and services company with more than 360 businesses. He shares responsibility for the day-to-day management of the Office of General Counsel, which provides legal services to all of Hearst’s businesses around the world. He also maintains an active litigation practice.
Prior to joining Hearst, Donnellan was vice president and deputy general counsel for the New York Daily News, U.S. News & World Report and two other media companies concurrently. Previously, he was assistant general counsel of CNN, where he was the lead newsroom and litigation counsel for CNN globally, and received an honorary National Headliner Award as counsel to the CNN Investigative Team, which won first place for its reporting. He spent his first decade of law practice as a litigator at Cahill Gordon & Reindel.
Donnellan is a member of the faculty of the Practicing Law Institute. He has also long been an adjunct law professor, teaching a variety of classes, most recently the seminar “The First Amendment and the Press” at Columbia Law School. He is a member of the board of the New York University Law Alumni Mentoring Program (LAMP). Previously, he was chair of the New York City Bar Association’s Communications and Media Law Committee and the American Bar Association’s First Amendment and Media Litigation Committee, and he is a former member of the governing committee of the ABA forum on communications law.
Donnellan received a bachelor’s degree in English and a law degree from New York University.
GREGORY DORN, MD
Senior Vice President, Hearst
President, Hearst Health
Greg Dorn is a senior vice president of Hearst and the president and group head of Hearst Health, overseeing Hearst’s healthcare businesses in the U.S. and globally, including FDB (First Databank), Zynx Health, MCG, Homecare Homebase and MHK. He also serves as a director of M2Gen and is a member of the Hearst board of directors.
For more than two decades, Dorn has been focused on raising the standard of excellence for patient care across the healthcare spectrum, through clinically rigorous guidance delivered by efficient, scalable technology. He is the co-inventor of two patented healthcare software technologies that continue to be used in health systems across the U.S. His expertise is in developing and commercializing inventive and disruptive solutions that improve care quality and efficiency.
Dorn has held a variety of leadership positions across Hearst, including chief operating officer of Zynx Health and president of FDB. In 2013 he was appointed a vice president of Hearst to lead its growing portfolio of healthcare companies. He became president of Hearst Health in 2014. The mission of Hearst Health is to guide the most important care moments by delivering vital information into the hands of everyone who touches a person’s health journey. Care guidance from Hearst Health reaches the majority of people in the U.S.
Dorn received his medical doctorate from the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and his bachelor’s degree from the Columbia University School of Engineering. He performed his clinical training at UCLA, where he also obtained his master’s degree in health services management.
John J. Drain is the chief financial officer of Hearst Television, a position to which he was appointed in 2016. Previously, beginning in 2010, he served as senior vice president, finance.
Prior to joining Hearst Television, Drain served as the senior vice president of finance and administration for Comcast Spotlight, the advertising sales division of Comcast Cable Corporation. While at Spotlight, Drain led all finance, human resources and legal operations and served as a key contributor to Spotlight’s expansion of market interconnects, strategic acquisitions and joint venture investments. Before joining Comcast Spotlight in 2002, Drain gained extensive experience in media and broadcasting while serving in senior executive financial positions with USA.Net, Sporting News Radio Network, New World Television and Hughes Broadcasting Partners.
Drain began his career at Coopers & Lybrand, and he is a certified public accountant. He holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Nazareth College of Rochester and a master’s degree from Pace University. Drain is a graduate of the Center for Creative Leadership executive leadership program and is chairman of the board of trustees of Nazareth University.
MAHENDRA DURAI
Senior Vice President, Chief Technology Officer, Hearst
Mahendra Durai is senior vice president, chief technology officer of Hearst. In this role, he partners with all Hearst corporate entities and businesses across media and information and services industries, enabling their growth and transformation goals. Durai is also responsible for Hearst Technology Services, the IT function of Hearst. He joined in 2019 as chief information officer, overseeing enterprise wide IT strategy and effective delivery of IT services, accelerating the adoption of digital capabilities across the company.
Before joining Hearst, from 2011 to 2019, Durai served as senior vice president and chief information technology officer of CA Technologies, now part of Broadcom. At CA Technologies, Durai was responsible for the organization’s IT strategy, enabling the digital transformation of the company from an on-premise software vendor to a hybrid offering of SaaS and on-premise software.
Prior, Durai worked at BMC Software where he served as vice president of IT and then vice president of consulting. In this P&L role, he started and led a global services practice focused on enabling business and IT process transformation for FORTUNE 500 clients.
Durai previously served as an advisor to multiple startups affiliated with Springboard Enterprises, whose mission is to accelerate the growth of entrepreneurial companies led by women.
Durai earned a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from the National Institute of Technology in Trichy, India and an MBA from the University of Texas at El Paso. He was also awarded the Advanced Certificate for Executives in Management, Innovation and Technology from the MIT Sloan School of Management.
CAROLENE S. EADDY
Vice President, Corporate Human Resources, Hearst
Carolene S. Eaddy is vice president of corporate human resources at Hearst. In this role, Eaddy is responsible for day-to-day and strategic oversight of all employment matters for the Hearst corporate teams. She is also responsible for training and compliance functions on HearstEDGE, which is part of Hearst’s Human Capital Management system. Prior to taking on this role, Eaddy was senior counsel for the labor and employment team in the Office of General Counsel at Hearst.
Eaddy joined Hearst in 2004 from Lowenstein Sandler PC, where she was an employee benefits associate at a law practice that represents clients in virtually every sector of the global economy with emphasis on life sciences, technology and funds.
From 1986 to 1992, Eaddy served as assistant vice president at the First National Bank of Chicago. During her tenure at First National Bank of Chicago, Eaddy was responsible for customer relationships and managing loan portfolios for Fortune 500 and media clients.
Eaddy received a bachelor’s degree in history from Wesleyan University and a law degree from the University of Virginia.
SCOTT ENGLISH
Senior Managing Director & Head of U.S. Investments, Hearst Ventures
Scott English is a senior managing director and co-head of Hearst Ventures and pursues strategic investments and acquisitions for Hearst in digital media. English has invested in, and served as a board director or observer of, over 16 companies. Most recently, English led the investments in portfolio companies BuzzFeed, Pandora, Relationship Science, Brightcove, Sling Media and WideOrbit. His primary focus is on Hearst’s investments in the United States.
English joined Hearst in 1995 and has had a variety of operational and investment responsibilities during his tenure. Aside from his Ventures activities, he has helped oversee two of Hearst’s digital businesses and acted as interim CEO of UGO Networks. In his first position at Hearst, English ran business development and strategy for Hearst’s HomeArts.com network of magazine websites, culminating in the merger of HomeArts.com and Women.com (iVillage). Prior to Hearst, he worked for Details magazine at Conde Nast.
English graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Trinity College and earned his master’s degree in business from Columbia Business School.
AIMEE FAHEY
Vice President, Human Resources, CAMP Systems International
Aimee Fahey is the vice president of human resources for CAMP Systems International. Fahey started at CAMP in 2015, managing all of the human resource functions for CAMP, including but not limited to employee relations, benefits administration, training and development, recruiting, payroll and EEO compliance.
With expansive experience spanning over 20 years, Fahey managed the global human resource functions for software companies outside of Boston prior to joining CAMP. As the HR subject matter expert, her expertise is in both operational and strategic HR practices. Fahey has a proven track record of overseeing all aspects of human resources management. In her role, she establishes and develops human resource teams and infrastructure for global technology companies to effectively support rapid business growth. She also has extensive mergers and acquisitions integration experience.
Fahey graduated from Salem State University with a bachelor’s degree in communications and has an HR management certification from Bentley University.
Ashley Gold is executive vice president and group head of Hearst Television, sharing management oversight of the Hearst Television portfolio of television and radio stations.
Gold, who was promoted to her current position in September 2021, joined Hearst Television in 2017 as vice president, sales, from KRON-TV in San Francisco, CA. At KRON she served for nearly three years, most recently in the dual role of vice president/general manager of both KRON-TV and KOIN-TV, Portland, OR; while there, she oversaw the launch of a primetime KRON newscast. She previously served for more than a decade with WDCW-TV in Washington, D.C., which she joined as a local account executive, later becoming the station’s national sales manager, then general sales manager and, ultimately, vice president/general manager in 2010 — remaining there until August 2014 before moving to KRON. She began her broadcast career with WIHT Radio in Rockville, MD.
A native of Pittsburgh, PA, Gold graduated from the University of Maryland with bachelor’s degrees in marketing and international business, and she is also a graduate of the National Association of Broadcasters Leadership Training Program.
Gold is a member of the CBS Affiliates Board; she serves as a scout for HearstLab, which provides cash investment and support services to early-stage, women-led startups, and as an executive sponsor of Hearst Television’s Women’s employee resource group. She is a former board member of the California Broadcasters Association, the Society for Television, Advertising & Radio in the Bay Area and the Maryland, DC, Delaware Broadcasters Association.
Vibby Gottemukkala is the co-chairman of CAMP Systems International, the leading provider of maintenance tracking and engine health monitoring services and software systems to service centers and MROs in the business aviation industry. Previously serving as President and Chief Executive Officer, Gottemukkala has been a part of CAMP for nearly 20 years and has served in various executive capacities including chief operating officer and chief technology officer. He has been instrumental in the growth of CAMP into the industry’s leading information services platform supporting 20,000 aircraft, 32,000 engines and over 1,500 service centers and MROs.
Prior to CAMP, Gottemukkala was with the IBM T.J. Watson Research Center in New York, where he led research in large-scale data and e-commerce systems. Gottemukkala holds a Ph.D. in computer science from Georgia Tech.
MICHAEL J. HAYES
Senior Vice President, Hearst
President, Hearst Television
Michael J. Hayes was promoted to senior vice president of Hearst and president of Hearst Television in May 2023. He came to the New York corporate office in 2013 after two decades of success in numerous leadership positions as a senior vice president and group head with operational oversight over a portfolio of Hearst Television markets. Subsequently he moved into the role of executive vice president in 2017 and deputy group head and chief operating officer in January 2022.
As a Hearst Television station executive, Hayes served as president and general manager at WTAE-TV, the ABC affiliate in Pittsburgh, beginning in March 2011. During his tenure at WTAE, Hayes led a rejuvenation of the station in all areas of operation, enhancing sales and community service initiatives while launching the newsmagazine Chronicle and expanding newscasts — returning Channel 4 Action News to first place in morning and late news time periods.
Prior to moving to WTAE, Hayes was for eight years president and general manager of Hearst’s WYFF-TV, the NBC affiliate in the Greenville-Spartanburg, South Carolina, television market, and one of the leading stations in the Southeast. During his tenure there, the station was honored with a Peabody Award for an episode of Chronicle, as well as a National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Service to America Award; a Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) National Edward R. Murrow Award; 44 Southeast Regional Emmy awards, including three for Best Newscast; and four consecutive South Carolina Station of the Year awards from the South Carolina Broadcasters Association.
Hayes spent seven years as general sales manager of WLWT-TV, Hearst’s NBC affiliate in Cincinnati, after serving in several sales and management positions across the country, including St. Louis, Grand Rapids, Austin and Peoria. He began his broadcast television career as a sportscaster and producer at WISH-TV — at the time, the CBS affiliate in Indianapolis.
A graduate of Indiana University Bloomington, Hayes holds a bachelor’s degree in telecommunications. Named a Distinguished Alumni in 2022, he serves as a board member of the Indiana University Media School. Additionally, he has participated in NAB’s Broadcast Leadership Training program and trained at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management as an NAB Professional.
Among various industry and civic activities, Hayes is a past chairman of the ABC Television Affiliates board of governors. He previously served as a director of the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters and was the first chairman asked and elected to a second term of the South Carolina Broadcasters Association, which in 2022 inducted him into its Hall of Fame. Hayes is also a past chairman of the Greater Greenville Chamber of Commerce and served as vice chairman of the United Way of Greenville County and the Urban League of the Upstate before departing for Pittsburgh.
DAVID HOVSTADIUS
Senior Vice President, Finance Operations, Hearst
David Hovstadius is senior vice president of finance operations at Hearst. Hovstadius is responsible for Hearst’s transactional finance and procurement operations, including enabling technologies. He is focused on continuous process improvement, automation and operational excellence and is the executive leader for the company’s finance transformation journey to the cloud, having successfully implemented Oracle’s Cloud ERP and EPM suite of products.
Hovstadius began his career at Accenture in 1992 and has over 28 years of experience in the communications, media and high-tech industries, specializing in enterprise transformation programs and operations.
Hovstadius completed his undergraduate and graduate degrees at the University of Connecticut.
Lisa Ryan Howard is executive vice president, global chief revenue officer of Hearst Magazines, the world's largest lifestyle publisher with a portfolio of more than 25 brands in the U.S., 175 websites and more than 200 magazine editions worldwide. In her role, Ms. Howard is responsible for both U.S. advertising and marketing and Hearst Global Solutions, the company’s international commercial division that creates cross-market solutions for brands.
Ms. Howard joined Hearst Magazines in 2022 from The New York Times, where she was global head of advertising and marketing solutions, leading all aspects of The Times’ ad business. She joined The New York Times in 2016 as senior vice president of advertising and was promoted to senior vice president, general manager of media, a position she held for four years.
Prior to that, Ms. Howard served in business and revenue leadership roles at Billboard, Yahoo and WebMD. She also spent 14 years at Condé Nast, where she held a variety of senior roles, including senior vice president, chief revenue officer of the Fairchild Fashion Group (WWD, WWD.com), publisher of Style.com and vice president of digital for Condé Nast Media Group.
Ms. Howard is a graduate of University of Georgia. She currently resides in New York City.
Laura Iantorno is senior vice president of human resources at KUBRA. Iantorno provides strategic HR leadership and support in the alignment of corporate strategy and people management. She plays a critical role in partnering with officers and senior leaders to achieve growth and develop performance strategies. She is responsible for fostering a highly engaged corporate culture that focuses on KUBRA’s core values.
With more than 20 years of executive-level HR experience in the technology sector, she plays a critical role within the organization, leading the development of world-class human resources programs. Iantorno’s expertise also includes recruitment, training and development, health and safety, employee engagement and workplace culture, diversity and inclusion. She is an active member of the Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA) and has obtained her CHRL and CHRE designations.
JEFFREY M. JOHNSON
Senior Vice President, Hearst
President, Hearst Newspapers
Jeffrey M. Johnson is a senior vice president of Hearst and the president and group head of Hearst Newspapers.
Hearst Newspapers is the operating group responsible for Hearst’s newspapers, local digital marketing services businesses and directories. With more than 3,000 employees across the nation, Hearst Newspapers publishes 24 dailies and 52 weeklies reaching more than 42 million unique visitors across the U.S., including related mobile websites and digital products. It also operates digital marketing services and directories businesses under the LocalEdge brand.
Johnson previously served as the publisher of the San Francisco Chronicle. He came to the Chronicle in 2013 after a 25-year career in publishing, including serving as president, publisher and CEO of the Los Angeles Times, and six years of work in private equity at the Yucaipa Companies. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and undergraduate accounting degree from the University of Illinois.
Rachel Kay is the senior vice president and chief people officer for Hearst. In this role, she develops and leads strategic initiatives related to recruiting, diversity and inclusion, compensation and talent planning across all of Hearst’s businesses. She previously served as vice president of talent.
Kay joined Hearst in 2019 after working for 15 years at McKinsey & Company, the international management consulting firm. She started at McKinsey as a consultant and then transitioned to roles responsible for managing and operating the firm. Among other positions, Kay led the U.S. undergraduate analyst program, overseeing growth in the overall program as well as driving an initiative to retain more analysts for long-term careers at the firm. She was the founding leader of a team focused on North American women’s recruiting and served on the global committee charged with developing a firm-wide diversity and inclusion strategy.
Kay also acted as the chief operating officer of McKinsey’s mid-Atlantic region, responsible for the consultants and support staff across four McKinsey offices. In that position, she led the teams that managed consultant deployment, client development, financial reporting, real estate strategy and human resources. Ultimately, she held a role leading the global partner performance management process and developed and implemented strategies to strengthen and embolden the McKinsey partnership.
She holds a law degree from Columbia Law School and an undergraduate degree in history from Harvard University.
C.J. Kettler is the president of King Features, a division of Hearst Newspapers, and serves as a HearstLab Scout. Kettler joined Hearst in 2017 and is leading the evolution of King Features, which boasts a portfolio of world-class IP including comics, puzzles and pop culture brand franchises such as Popeye, the Phantom, Mandrake, Flash Gordon, Betty Boop and Cuphead. She is focused on digital transformation, entertainment, merchandising/licensing and direct-to-consumer businesses. The Cuphead Show!, an animated series of 1930s-inspired cartoons, is set to debut on Netflix in mid-2021.
A media industry leader with broad management and digital experience, Kettler was EVP, consumer brands and strategy, at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt until May 2017, where she successfully transitioned Channel One News into an educational product, launched Curious World, a mobile subscription service for millennial families, and produced the Emmy-nominated animated series Carmen Sandiego, which premiered on Netflix in January 2019. She joined Channel One News, owned by private equity firm Zelnick Media, as CEO and chair in November 2012 and led the sale of the company to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (NASDAQ: HMHC) in May 2014.
From 2008 to 2013, Kettler was a partner at Propeller Partners, LLC, a strategic advisory firm for large media companies, venture and private equity investors in the digital sector. In November 2007, Kettler was named president of Travelzoo (NASDAQ: TZOO), a publicly held consumer internet company with $150 million in revenue at the time.
In 2005, as founder and CEO, she created and launched LIME, the first multichannel green lifestyle brand, having secured funding from Steve Case’s Revolution, LLC. Under her leadership, the LIME brand was introduced simultaneously across multiple media platforms and sold to Gaiam (NASDAQ: GAIA) in July 2007.
Beginning in 2001, Kettler served as managing director and operating executive at Solera Capital, a private equity firm with $250 million under management. She was co-president of Latina magazine, one of Solera’s portfolio companies, and was instrumental in evaluating investment opportunities in the media industry.
Kettler was a founding member of the Oxygen Media management team, serving as president of sales and marketing, where she managed all cross-platform integrated sales, marketing and affiliate relationships. From 1987, Kettler was a founding partner at Sunbow Entertainment, a top-ranked independent program supplier, where, as president and CEO, she negotiated the sale of the company to Sony Music Entertainment in 1999.
Kettler has amassed significant management experience in a wide range of leadership roles straddling digital media, consumer brands, content development, production and distribution. She also held senior executive positions at MTV Networks/Viacom, McCann-Erickson and CBS. Kettler holds a bachelor’s degree from Smith College, serves on the NorthSouth Productions Board (a Hearst investment) and is also a board director for the Environmental Working Group.
Barnabas Kui is the vice president and controller of Hearst. Previously, he served as the senior vice president and chief financial officer of Hearst Newspapers. In this role, Kui oversaw all accounting and finance functions of the newspaper division. Hearst Newspapers, with more than 3,000 employees around the nation, publishes 24 dailies and 52 weeklies, reaching more than 42 million unique visitors across the U.S. with related mobile websites and digital products in cities including Houston, San Francisco, San Antonio and Albany.
Formerly, Kui served as Hearst Newspapers’ vice president of finance and as director of accounting and financial reporting. Prior to joining Hearst, he was a senior manager in Ernst & Young’s New York City office, where he audited global companies in the media, entertainment, technology, financial services and energy industries. He started his career with Arthur Andersen LLP.
Kui graduated summa cum laude from Pace University, with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a master’s degree in business. He is a certified public accountant and a member of the AICPA and the New York State Society of CPAs. Kui is a graduate of the Hearst Management Institute, Hearst’s executive development program.
Sean Lanagan is president of CAMP Systems International, the world’s leading independent provider of aviation maintenance management software products and services. Sean oversees CAMP’s worldwide operations, including Aircraft Health Management, ILS, Component Control, Stockmarket.aero, Corridor, AMSTAT, Aircraft Shopper Online and FlightBridge businesses. CAMP has over 1,000 employees in 13 offices around the world supporting more than 40,000 aviation customers located on all 7 continents.
Lanagan joined CAMP in 2016 and spent several years leading the growth and SaaS transformation of CAMP’s Enterprise Information Systems Business, which includes ERP software, data analytics, marketplaces and eCommerce businesses.
Sean has over two decades of experience building software-based businesses for enterprise and mid-market customers. Prior to CAMP, he led critical operations for Bain Capital portfolio company SevOne and spent over a decade at EMC where he held a number of entrepreneurial and P&L management roles. Prior to EMC, Sean was a product manager with Sequoia Capital portfolio company Documentum and an investment banker with Morgan Stanley. He is a thought leader on go-to-market strategy and solutions development for regulated industries and has published a Harvard Business School case on “Crossing the Chasm.” Sean has a bachelor's degree from Princeton University and a master of business administration degree from Harvard Business School.
April Lane was named chief e-commerce officer in January 2022. In this role, Lane leads the expansion of e-commerce and performance marketing capabilities across the organization’s consumer media businesses, which collectively reach 165 million unique users each month according to Comscore, ranking Hearst as the sixth largest digital publisher of original content in the U.S.
Lane spent nearly 12 years leading efforts to transform the consumer shopping experience at Amazon and most recently served as general manager/director of its sports and outdoors business.
Lane has held a variety of leadership roles during her tenure at Amazon, including director of marketing and product management, physical stores; director, Amazon Fresh perishables; and category leader, Handmade. Prior to Amazon, she held strategy roles at Limited Brands and Nike after beginning her career at Boston Consulting Group, where she specialized in retail.
Lane is a graduate of Northwestern University, where she received a bachelor’s degree in sociology, political science. She currently resides in Seattle, Washington.
Barbara Maushard was named senior vice president, news, of Hearst Television in 2016, after having served since 2008 as vice president, news. She sets strategy for Hearst Television’s news operations and has management oversight of the corporate-level news team.
Under Maushard’s stewardship, Hearst Television stations have consistently earned television journalism’s highest national honors — including ten consecutive Walter Cronkite Awards for Excellence in TV Political Journalism from the USC Annenberg School, dozens of National Edward R. Murrow Awards, National Headliner Awards and a prestigious National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Service to America Award.
Maushard has also spearheaded multifaceted, groupwide, extended journalism and community outreach projects — most recently with “Forecasting Our Future,” an initiative using the combined resources of more than 100 meteorologists around the country to explore the impact of weather and climate on local communities. Additional projects have included “State of Addiction,” addressing the nation’s opioid crises, and Project CommUNITY, exploring the nation’s divisions region by region — which helped earn Hearst Television a Broadcasting & Cable magazine 2019 Station Group of the Year honor; the publication also noted that “the stations were their usual local powerhouses in news and community affairs.”
In 2020 Maushard was recognized with one of television journalism’s highest individual honors: the First Amendment Leadership Award from the Radio Television Digital News Foundation (RTDNF). The award “is presented to a business, government or other leader who has made a significant contribution to the protection of the First Amendment and freedom of the press.”
Maushard has worked at four Hearst stations since 1997, serving as news director at three of them: KHBS/KHOG (Fort Smith/Fayetteville, Arkansas), WISN (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) and WESH (Orlando, Florida). Under her news stewardship, WISN-TV launched seven and a half hours of local news programming and was honored with both a George Foster Peabody Award and a National Edward R. Murrow Award, among other honors. Maushard joined the company at KMBC-TV in Kansas City, Missouri, where she was part of a team that won a Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) award. She began her career at WHOI in her hometown of Peoria, Illinois, later working at WCMH, Columbus, Ohio and WMAR, Baltimore, Maryland.
Among other industry roles, Maushard serves on the boards of NBC News Channel and the Kneeland Project for Responsible Journalism. She previously served on the board of the Library of American Broadcasting Foundation and was vice-chair of the ABC News Directors Advisory Board. She is a member of the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA). Additionally, she serves on the news leadership council for the Trust Project, an international consortium of news organizations working to help consumers identify trusted sources of news. She also serves on Hearst Television’s Women Employee Resource Group.
Maushard graduated with a degree in Broadcast Journalism from Bradley University in Peoria.
Eric Meyrowitz was named executive vice president and group head of Hearst Television in 2021, with operational oversight over a portfolio of Hearst Television markets.
Meyrowitz previously was senior vice president, sales, since 2017. He joined Hearst Television as vice president, sales in 2014; the move marked a return to Hearst for Meyrowitz, who served as national sales manager for WBAL-TV, Baltimore, between 1997 and 2000. Before returning to Hearst, he was vice president and general manager of WPIX-TV, New York, where he helped create and launch the station’s first 5 p.m. newscast, as well as New York’s first Health and Wellness Expo. Before WPIX, Meyrowitz was vice president and general manager of WDCW-TV, the CW affiliate in Washington, D.C. He began his television sales career as an analyst and, later, account executive at HRP, now a unit of Cox Reps.
Meyrowitz, twice listed in Washington Life magazine’s annual Most Influential Washington Leaders Under 40, has served numerous community-service organizations, including So Others Might Eat and the Pleasantville (NY) Cottage School. He is chair of the NBC Affiliates Board and treasurer of the Television Bureau of Advertising (TVB). He previously served on the Nielsen Local Media Alliance as well as on the board of the International Radio & Television Society. He earned his bachelor’s degree, cum laude, from Boston University.
Michael Palmer is the chief information security officer for Hearst, a leading diversified media, information and services company with over $10 billion in annual revenue. Hearst’s portfolio of more than 360 companies spans cable television networks such as A&E, HISTORY, Lifetime and ESPN; global financial services leader Fitch Group; and Hearst Health, a group of medical information and services businesses. Palmer leads enterprise-wide vision, strategy and architecture of information security and technology risk management. Palmer brings his expertise to evangelize IT security across Hearst’s portfolio, integrating IT security as a critical component of business operations.
Formerly, Palmer served as a key member of the NFL’s executive team, responsible for governing the league’s cybersecurity strategy, policies and programs while protecting its brand, intellectual property and assets. As the first chief information security officer in the NFL, Palmer’s inaugural role was the result of his ingenious work ethic, dedicated problem solving and ability to pitch the business case for having an information security office. Palmer recognized a need in the organization and created the CISO office from the ground level in 2012.
Palmer’s background includes 20+ years of broad cybersecurity and enterprise risk management experience, including deep specialization in corporate technology infrastructure, identifying threats and pinpointing vulnerabilities. Palmer works to expose inherent business risks and is adept at spearheading strategies on how to best address them. As a proven trailblazer, change agent and subject matter expert in information security, Palmer works closely with his colleagues, providing guidance on security and risk issues.
An industry thought leader, Palmer serves on the Grambling State University Technology Advisory Board and Rochester Institute of Technology Computer Security Advisory Board. In his work at the colleges, he helps to shape the educational programs that train the next generation of cyber defenders. Some of Palmer’s awards include the CISO Executive Summit Breakaway Leadership Award (2018), Global Leadership Forum (GLF) Superstar (2018) and Information Technology Senior Management Forum (ITSMF) Member of the Year (2017).
Palmer also co-chairs the governing body of the New York CISO Executive Summit (Evanta), an organization that fosters collaboration and knowledge sharing across the New York CISO community. He is a member of the programming committee for RSA 2019 CISO Boot Camp and CISO Insight track, creating educational content for the world’s largest cybersecurity conference.
Passionate about diversity and inclusion in the technology space, Palmer serves on the International Consortium of Minority Cybersecurity Professionals (ICMCP) Strategic Advisory Board to help bridge the great cyber divide, working to attract more women and minorities into the information security industry. Previously, Palmer also served as a committee chair of the NFL’s Diversity Council, a governing body that works to provide increased opportunities and exposure to women and diverse professionals within the NFL.
Palmer earned a U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secret Clearance and holds several industry certifications, including Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), Certified Chief Information Security Officer (CCISO), Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC), Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM) and Information Technology Infrastructure Library V3 (ITIL V3).
He obtained a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a major in computer information systems from Baruch College. He is also part of the Department of Homeland Security Commercial Facilities Workgroup Governing Board of Directors and Information Technology Senior Management Forum (ITSMF).
ROGER P. PASCHKE
Vice President & Chief Investment Officer, Hearst
Roger Paschke is vice president and chief investment officer at Hearst, a leading global, diversified media, information and services company with more than 360 businesses. Paschke also serves as CIO for the Hearst Foundations.
In his role, Paschke manages Hearst’s pension assets, defined contribution plan, the Hearst Foundations and related entities, which, combined, exceed $6 billion. Recently, Paschke was named to Chief Investment Officer’s Power 100 list of the most influential people at pensions, endowments, foundations, insurance funds and sovereign wealth funds worldwide.
Previously, Paschke served as chief financial officer and senior vice president of OIL Group of Companies in Hamilton, Bermuda, from 1997 to 2006, where he was responsible for the company’s approximately $5 billion in assets under management. Paschke’s oversight included responsibility for rating agency relationships, accounting, budgeting, auditing, internal controls, pension investments and financial services for the insurance companies and related investment subsidiaries.
From 1978 to 1996, Paschke held a variety of positions with increasing responsibilities at the University of Minnesota. Beginning in 1992, he was treasurer and associate vice president for finance, responsible for nearly $3 billion in assets under management.
Paschke holds a bachelor’s in political science and criminal justice studies from the University of Minnesota.
RENEE PETERSON
Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Hearst Newspapers
Renee Peterson is senior vice president of human resources for Hearst Newspapers. In her role, Peterson designs and implements relevant, business-driven human resources practices for Hearst Newspapers. With more than 3,000 employees across the nation, Hearst Newspapers publishes 24 dailies and 52 weeklies. It also operates digital marketing services and directories businesses under the LocalEdge brand.
Before joining Hearst in 2013, Peterson was director of human resources for Hargrove, Inc., a general contractor for trade shows, events and custom exhibits, from 2011 to 2013, and director of the HR business partners group at Electronics for Imaging from 2010 to 2011. From 1996 to 2009, Peterson held various HR leadership positions at McAfee, Inc./Secure Computing Corporation.
Mark C. Redman is a senior vice president and co-general counsel of Hearst. Redman joined Hearst in 2001 as director of legal affairs of SmartMoney, a joint venture between Hearst and The Wall Street Journal. Redman joined the Hearst Office of General Counsel in 2003.
Redman started his legal career as an associate at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, where his practice primarily focused on mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance transactions. Redman also previously served as the vice president and general counsel of FreeRide.com LLC, a technology-enabled affiliate marketing and loyalty program.
Redman sits on the boards of and assists various nonprofit organizations and is a member of the Columbia Entrepreneurship Advisory Council.
Redman holds a J.D. from Columbia University, where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone scholar, and a bachelor’s degree from Hobart College, where he graduated magna cum laude and was inducted to Phi Beta Kappa.
Atefeh “Atti” Riazi was named chief information officer of Hearst in October 2022. She most recently served as senior vice president and chief information officer/interim chief digital officer at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
Riazi possesses more than 35 years of broad experience leading digital transformation in both the private and public sectors. Riazi joined Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) in 2020 and was responsible for the digital strategy and transformation of the hospital through business realignment, innovation and technology deployment across the care spectrum. There, she managed the network infrastructure, applications, system security, integration and analytics servicing MSK’s research, clinical and administrative functions.
Prior to joining MSK, Riazi served as assistant secretary-general and chief information technology officer at the United Nations beginning in 2013. At the UN, she oversaw all information and communications technology activities across the UN, including peacekeeping operations and managed a global staff of 4,000.
From 2009 to 2013, Riazi worked as chief information officer at New York City Housing Authority, directing the IT operations of North America’s largest public housing agency and served as the Acting General Manager with full responsibility for the agency.
Earlier in her career, Riazi served as global chief information officer and senior partner at Ogilvy & Mather, ran manufacturing operations and was vice president and chief information officer of technology at MTA New York City Transit where she implemented one of the largest public works projects in U.S. transportation history: the successful transition to the magnetic fare card system (MetroCard).
Riazi is the founder and executive director of CIOs Without Borders, a nonprofit organization focused on using technology to address social issues globally, including online child and human trafficking and environmental policies around electronic waste. Riazi also sits on a number of boards, supports schools focused on STEM and girls and speaks frequently on issues involving technology for social good, responsible innovation, cyber defense and cyber security.
BARIN ROVZAR
Senior Vice President, Head of Mergers & Acquisitions, Hearst Health
Barin Rovzar is senior vice president and head of mergers and acquisitions for Hearst Health. She previously served as vice president of finance for Hearst, where she was responsible for corporate development efforts principally aligned with the company’s business media interests. Prior to that, she was an executive director within Hearst’s technology group focused on innovation and emerging technologies.
Rovzar joined Hearst from McKinsey & Company where she served healthcare and media clients as a consultant with the firm’s New York office. She began her career at the Advisory Board Company, a syndicated research and technology firm focused on healthcare organizations, where she held several roles in the company’s commercial functions.
Rovzar completed her undergraduate studies at Cornell University and obtained a master’s degree from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Mark Smadbeck is a vice president of finance, mergers and acquisitions at Hearst. Since joining Hearst in 2010, Smadbeck has advised on acquisitions and strategy across the Hearst portfolio of businesses. In addition to advising on strategic acquisitions, Smadbeck is responsible for financial planning and analysis at Hearst.
Prior to joining Hearst, Smadbeck began his career in investment banking at Merrill Lynch and Bank of America. He gained transaction experience in corporate finance and M&A, advising industry leaders across the technology, media and telecommunications sectors.
Smadbeck received a bachelor’s degree in economics from Brown University.
PAUL TAYLOR
Senior Vice President, Hearst
President & Chief Executive Officer, Fitch Group
Paul Taylor is a senior vice president of Hearst and the president, chief executive officer and group head of Fitch Group, a leading provider of essential financial information and services to the global financial markets. Taylor was appointed to this position in April 2012. He is also a member of Hearst's board of directors.
Taylor previously served as president of Fitch Ratings, the group’s largest business and a leading provider of credit ratings, commentary and research. Prior to this appointment in 2010, he spent two years as global head of structured finance ratings, presiding over numerous ratings reforms following the 2007 collapse of the U.S. housing market. Taylor has held a variety of analytical leadership positions at Fitch Ratings, including global head of sovereign, public finance, corporate and financial institution ratings. He also headed the agency’s operations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Taylor joined Fitch predecessor firm Duff & Phelps Credit Rating Co. in 1994 as senior vice president in charge of European ratings activities. His final role prior to DCR’s merger with Fitch Ratings in 2000 was executive vice president of DCR International, where he oversaw all rating activities outside of North America and chaired the international group credit and criteria committee.
Prior to joining DCR in July 1994, Taylor was a director and head of European structured finance for Standard & Poor’s ratings group. He began his career in corporate lending at Lloyds Bank Limited.
Taylor has a degree in management and marketing from the University of Lancaster, where he is an active alumnus.
CHARLES TUCHINDA, MD
Vice President, HearstExecutive Vice President, Hearst HealthExecutive Chairman, FDBExecutive Chairman, MHK
Chuck Tuchinda is the executive vice president and deputy group head of Hearst Health, providing senior leadership for Hearst’s healthcare businesses in the U.S. and globally, including FDB (First Databank), Zynx Health, MCG, Homecare Homebase and MHK. He also serves as executive chairman of FDB, executive chairman of MHK and vice president of Hearst.
The mission of Hearst Health is to guide the most important care moments by delivering vital information into the hands of everyone who touches a person’s health journey. Care guidance from Hearst Health reaches the majority of people in the U.S.
From the outset of his career, Tuchinda has invented and commercialized solutions that leverage modern technology to improve clinical decision-making. His expertise is in developing scalable and sustainable business models for novel technology-enabled clinical knowledge.
Tuchinda became president of FDB in 2014, leading the company in double-digit growth and expanding its business into adjacent markets. He first joined Hearst in 2010 as the chief innovation officer for healthcare, after holding a variety of executive roles at Eclipsys (now Allscripts) and leading several successful entrepreneurial endeavors.
A board-certified internal medicine physician, Tuchinda completed both his medical doctorate and residency training at Johns Hopkins. He received a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard Business School and a biomedical engineering degree from Harvard College.
Maria Walsh is senior vice president and head of benefits at Hearst. Walsh also serves as a Scout for HearstLab, a community of early-stage, women-led startups working inside Hearst, where she assists with the evaluation process and provides investments with introductions and networking opportunities.
Previously, Walsh was vice president of global benefits and mobility at Nielsen. In this role, she oversaw the benefits and wellness strategies for the company’s more than 46,000 employees across 100 countries. She managed vendor negotiations, contracts and relationships; designed and implemented measurable tools to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of initiatives; and ensured compliance with existing and new regulations across locations. Walsh’s earlier roles at Nielsen included director of global benefit plans and wellbeing and director of U.S. benefit plans.
Before joining Nielsen, Walsh was the manager of health and wellbeing strategy at Citibank, Inc. At Citibank, Walsh designed and executed strategies and policies programs for 150,000 employees in the U.S. across medical, pharmacy, dental, vision, flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts, retiree medical and wellbeing policies. From 2000 to 2002, she was a senior analyst for retirement plans at UBS. Walsh began her career at Prudential Financial as a pension consultant.
Walsh received a bachelor’s degree in political science from Drew University.
Rick Watkin became president and chief executive officer of KUBRA, a customer experience management company, in 1999 after working for the organization since 1995.
KUBRA delivers customer experience management solutions to some of the largest utility, insurance and government entities across North America. Its portfolio includes billing and payment, mapping, mobile apps, proactive communications and artificial intelligence solutions for customers. With more than a billion customer experiences annually, KUBRA services reach over 40% of households in the U.S. and Canada. KUBRA is an operating subsidiary of Hearst.
Under Watkin’s leadership, KUBRA has experienced significant organic growth, a management buyout with private equity and several acquisitions that led to the private sale of 80% of the company’s shares to Hearst. In 2020, KUBRA achieved a milestone, surpassing more than 10 billion interactions with its customers. All of these interactions were managed through KUBRA’s comprehensive customer experience platform.
Watkin was the recipient of the prestigious Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2010 in Ontario. During his tenure as CEO, KUBRA was named one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies for four consecutive years, from 2011 to 2014, and was recognized as one of Canada’s 10 Most Admired Corporate Cultures™ by Waterstone Human Capital in 2014 and 2018.
Watkin is a member of the KUBRA board of directors and sits on various advisory boards including the Kids’ Health Links Foundation, AlsoEnergy, Inc. and publicly traded Clairvest Group Inc. He is a member of the National Automated Clearing House Association (NACHA) and the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO). Watkin has participated as a judge for Canada’s 10 Most Admired Corporate Cultures and the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards.