Romenesko Misc.
Mark Ford has been promoted to executive vice president of Time Inc. and president of its newly created Sports Group, and John Q. Griffin — former publishing president at the National Geographic Society — has been named executive vice president of Time Inc. and president of its newly formed News Group. Also, Kim Kelleher has been named Time magazine publisher. Replacing her as Sports Illustrated publisher will be Frank Wall. Replacing Wall as Money publisher will be Brendan Ripp.
Press release
TIME INC. CREATES NEW SPORTS AND NEWS GROUPS,
LED BY INDUSTRY VETERANS MARK FORD AND JOHN Q. GRIFFIN
Mark Ford Promoted To Executive Vice President of Time Inc.
And President of its Sports Group
John Q. Griffin Appointed Executive Vice President of Time Inc.
And President of its News Group
Kim Kelleher named Publisher of TIME
Frank Wall appointed Publisher of Sports Illustrated;
Brendan Ripp becomes Publisher of Money
New York, NY, December 22, 2010 – In a realignment of Time Inc.’s sports and news operations, Mark Ford has been promoted to Executive Vice President of Time Inc. and President of its newly created Sports Group, and John Q. Griffin, former President of Publishing at the National Geographic Society, has been named Executive Vice President of Time Inc. and President of its newly formed News Group. The appointments were announced today by Jack Griffin, CEO of Time Inc., and will become effective January 3, 2011. (Jack Griffin and John Q. Griffin are not related.)
In addition, Jack Griffin has appointed Kim Kelleher as Publisher of TIME magazine, the Company’s flagship brand. Replacing her as Publisher of Sports Illustrated will be Frank Wall. Replacing Wall as Publisher of Money will be Brendan Ripp.
Mark Ford
Executive Vice President of Time Inc. and President of the Sports Group
With his promotion to EVP of Time Inc., Ford will report directly to Jack Griffin. As President of the Time Inc. Sports Group, Ford will be responsible for expanding the reach and depth of the Sports Illustrated media company – including the flagship magazine, digital extensions, the Sports Illustrated Golf Group (Golf Magazine and SI Golf Plus) and the SI Kids franchise. New Sports Illustrated publisher Frank Wall will report to Ford.
Ford will continue to work closely with Sports Illustrated Group editor Terry McDonell, focusing on multi-platform initiatives and products – such as the recent launch of its “Snapshot” app for the Google Chrome Web store. Ford will also represent Time Inc. in its digital partnership with Turner Sports that includes SI.com, Golf.com and other new ventures.
Griffin said: “Putting Sports and News into new groups will enable both to build on their leadership positions and continue to distribute our content in new, innovative ways. We will also be better focused on expanding our events businesses and growing our significant international footprints. Mark will concentrate his efforts on building an even more powerful sports franchise for Time Inc. He will also continue to extend and diversify the Sports Illustrated brand with new products across all platforms and devices. At the same time, he will work to enhance the value of SI’s products to both advertisers and consumers, as well as to identify potential acquisitions to broaden the franchise’s appeal.”
Time Warner Chairman and CEO Jeff Bewkes said: “A strong presence in sports is critical to Time Warner’s competitiveness today and in the future. That’s why we are fortunate that Time Inc. and our other companies are leaders in vital segments of sports journalism and programming. Jack Griffin’s appointment of Mark Ford to head the new Time Inc. Sports Group signals an important advance in our strategy for sports. We are confident that Mark will both grow Time Inc.’s clout in sports and work productively with Time Warner’s other sports operations.”
Ford said: “Sports Illustrated is a transcendent brand with unlimited potential and opportunity. The combination of SI’s unmatched journalistic excellence with our ability to develop cutting-edge products will better serve our global fan base and appeal to more clients than ever before. My thanks to Jeff and Jack for their support and commitment to making Time Inc. and Time Warner major players in sports.”
For the past two years, Ford has served as the President of the News & Sports Group. From 2004 to 2008, he was President of the Sports Illustrated Group. During his 25-year career at Time Inc., Ford headed Time4 Media, a network of enthusiast magazines, and Media Networks Inc. In addition to being part of the launch team of Entertainment Weekly, he worked in advertising sales for People, EW, LIFE and Time Inc. Corporate. Ford began his Time Inc. career as a divisional sales manager for TIME.
John Q. Griffin
Executive Vice President of Time Inc. and President of the News Group
With his appointment to EVP of Time Inc., John Q. Griffin will report directly to Jack Griffin. As President of the Time Inc. News Group, he will assume P&L and brand responsibility for TIME, FORTUNE and Money magazines, as well as the Time.com, CNNMoney.com, Fortune.com and Life.com Web sites, among other functions.
Griffin will also oversee the international editions of TIME and FORTUNE. TIME’s international editions include TIME Europe, TIME Asia and TIME South Pacific, with a global audience of more than 24 million. Known for its unparalleled access to business leaders and decision makers around the world, FORTUNE is the only business brand with editions in Europe and Asia.
At the News Group, Griffin will work closely with Time Inc. Editor-in-Chief John Huey and managing editors Rick Stengel of TIME, Andy Serwer of FORTUNE and Craig Matters of Money. Reporting to him will be new publishers Kim Kelleher at TIME and Brendan Ripp at Money, as well as Jed Hartman, Group Publisher of FORTUNE and CNNMoney.com, Richard Evans, President of Time & Fortune International, and John Cantarella, President of Digital.
As part of the Company’s commitment to advance the leadership position of TIME, Kim Kelleher has been appointed Publisher. “Kim is an industry star,” Jack Griffin said. “She has broad experience, significant contacts and a track record of stellar success. Under her leadership, Sports Illustrated has made significant strides, and we look forward to the same success at TIME as she works together with John Q. Griffin.”
Speaking about John Q. Griffin, Jack Griffin said: “I have great confidence in John and his ability to work effectively with the excellent people in our newly formed News Group. He’s the right person to continue the exciting innovation and brand expansion at TIME, FORTUNE and Money titles, and to continue growing Time.com, CNNMoney.com and Life.com.”
John Q. Griffin said: “This is a wonderful opportunity to join Jack and the impressive teams at Time Inc. TIME, FORTUNE and LIFE are the titles that this great Company was built on. Together with Money, the peerless journalism of these titles has had a positive impact on people’s lives for decades. I look forward to working with the superb teams in the News Group to expand their worldwide leadership and influence as we move further into the digital future.”
During the past nine years at the National Geographic Society, John Q. Griffin served as Executive Vice President, President of Publishing and President of Magazines. Previously, he was EVP and COO of Hearst Magazines International, President of Rodale Inc.’s magazine division and Chairman, President and Publisher of PC World. Before joining PC World, he worked as Circulation Director at Rodale and as an editor at both book and magazine publishing companies. John Q. Griffin also served as Chairman of the MPA – The Association of American Media – from 2007 through 2010 and as a Director of the Audit Bureau of Circulations for the past six years.
