Roger Lynch has been named Condé Nast’s first global CEO, with the former Pandora and Dish Network exec stepping into the role April 22.
The media and publishing company announced Lynch’s appointment Thursday. Lynch will also join Condé Nast’s board of directors. He assumes the role after the company announced last fall that CEO Bob Sauerberg would depart after 18 years at Condé Nast.
The company, whose media brands include Vanity Fair, Wired, GQ, the New Yorker and Vogue, is merging its U.S.-based businesses with Condé Nast International, to be overseen under Lynch.
“After conducting a thorough search for an executive to run the combined Condé Nast U.S. and Condé Nast International, we believe Roger is the right person to lead Condé Nast during our new phase of global integration, growth and transformation,” Condé Nast chairman Jonathan Newhouse said in announcing the appointment.
Lynch most recently was president and CEO of Pandora, exiting in January after the acquisition of the streaming-music company by SiriusXM. Prior to that, he led Dish’s Sling TV over-the-top TV division. In joining Condé Nast, he’ll be relocating from San Francisco to New York.
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He’s an unexpected choice for the company, which like other traditional publishers has experienced declines on the print side of the house and is trying to bolster digital revenue. Condé Nast has killed print versions of Glamour, Teen Vogue and Self over the last two years. Lynch doesn’t have experience in the publishing industry, although he has a long digital-media resume. Condé Nast board member Steve Newhouse said the CEO search committee was impressed by Lynch’s “passion for great journalism, magazines that make a difference, and brands that have exceptional potential for growth.”
Lynch commented in a statement, “I have long admired the extraordinary, award-winning content produced by Condé Nast. I’m very excited to work alongside the talented, passionate and creative team at Condé Nast as we drive the next phase of the company’s growth.”
Prior to Dish, Lynch was chairman and CEO of Video Networks International, a UK-based IPTV provider, and before that, was president and CEO of Chello Broadband in Amsterdam. Earlier in his career, Lynch was an investment banker with Morgan Stanley specializing in technology and a member of the physics technical staff at Hughes Aircraft Co. Lynch holds an MBA from Dartmouth College’s Tuck School of Business and a bachelor of science in physics from USC.
As previously announced, Jonathan Newhouse will become chairman of the board of directors and will relinquish his position as CEO of Condé Nast International. Also with Lynch’s appointment, Sauerberg will officially exit the company; Sauerberg will continue to represent Advance on the board of Reddit, in which it holds a minority stake.