Jack Griffin to Officially Replace Moore at Time Inc.
It’s a done deal: Jack Griffin will succeed Ann Moore as chairman/CEO of Time Inc.
Jeff Bewkes, chairman/CEO of Time Inc. parent Time Warner, announced the appointment Aug. 9.
In his announcement, Bewkes called Griffin “an exceptional executive who knows how to expand the reach and relevance of strong publishing brands, and he will be a champion of our high-quality journalism. As CEO, Jack will further advance our lead position in the industry and accelerate the expansion and innovation of our titles on all platforms.”
The changing of the guard was reported last week, shortly after Griffin stepped down from Meredith Corp., where he was president of its National Media Group.
While he won’t officially start until the end of September, Griffin was expected to spend the day at the Time Inc. building, meeting with select higher-ups at Time Inc. and having lunch with Moore. He’ll initially be CEO, then add the chairman role when Moore, who was with the company 32 years, retires at the end of a transition period of undetermined length.
The appointment of Griffin suggests Time Inc. will increasingly shift away from a traditional ad page sales model to a marketing services-driven one—applying the strategy Griffin honed at Meredith and one that’s become widely admired and increasingly emulated by other magazine industry players.
Hearst, for one, recently acquired digital marketing firm iCrossing, while Condé Nast has declared it would focus its business around consumer- and digital-driven revenue.
At Meredith, Griffin led the creation of Meredith 360, a marketing services unit, recognizing a demand by advertisers for a more holistic approach to marketing. He also led an expansion of Meredith’s digital marketing capabilities by acquiring a string of interactive firms.
Griffin also played a role in helping Meredith buy and integrate Gruner + Jahr USA, whose publications Parents, Family Circle and others aimed at younger women rounded out Meredith’s traditional women’s service magazines like Better Homes and Gardens and Ladies’ Home Journal.
