NY Times Names Levien CEO As Thompson Steps Down

The New York Times on Wednesday named Meredith Kopit Levien as its new president and chief executive, succeeding Mark Thompson, who held the job for eight years and led the daily's digital transformation.

Kopit Levien, 49, has been chief operating officer since June 2017, a role in which she led digital product efforts, according to the company.

She joined the Times in 2013 as head of advertising and also worked as executive vice president and chief revenue officer, responsible for both the subscription and advertising businesses.

"It's the honor of a lifetime to lead The New York Times," said Kopit Levien, who previously worked at Forbes and The Atlantic.

"I see a big opportunity to expand journalism's role in the lives of millions more people around the world, and to invest in product and technology innovation that engages our readers and grows our business."

She added that "at a time when the free press remains under pressure, The Times will continue to invest in and defend the high-quality, independent journalism on which our democracy depends."

Kopit Levien takes over September 8 from Thompson, a former BBC director-general who has been shepherding the newspaper's transition to digital and increasing revenues from subscriptions.

In its most recent quarterly update, the prestigious US daily said it added 587,000 new digital subscribers to reach five million. Including its print subscribers, the total is 5.8 million.

Thompson, 62, said, "I've chosen this moment to step down because we have achieved everything I set out to do when I joined The Times Company eight years ago -- and because I know that in Meredith, I have an outstanding successor who is ready to lead the company on to its next chapter."

The change was part of a lengthy succession planning process, according to Times publisher A.G. Sulzberger.

"After a deliberate succession planning process, the board unanimously agreed that Meredith was the perfect leader to drive the next phase of growth and transformation at The Times," Sulzberger said.

"She has successfully led much of our company's most important work -- from reimagining our advertising business to driving our historic subscription growth to fostering a culture of product innovation," he said.