Gentzel named Newsweek’s global chief commercial & growth officer

Former Gannett CRO Kevin Gentzel has been appointed to the post of global chief commercial and growth officer for Newsweek.

In his new role, Gentzel will oversee the entire commercial business side of the publication, including direct sales and programmatic advertising programs, consumer B2B events, the development of innovative digital marketing solutions, and other key revenue streams.

At Gannett, Gentzel led all advertising and marketing solutions revenue in North America, including at USA Today, ReachLocal, and over 260 local news properties.

Gannett announced recently that it would be cutting costs significantly following a downturn in business this year.

Gentzel also previous worked as Yahoo’s head of advertising sales for North America, as well as chief revenue officer at The Washington Post and president and group publisher at Forbes Media.

“Kevin is a brilliant media leader with proven expertise in driving significant revenue not only through typical channels, but also by developing new, ingenious marketing programs that speak directly to advertisers’ needs,” said Dev Pragad, CEO of Newsweek.

“He joins Newsweek at a critical juncture. The company’s successful digital transformation has turned us into a profitable enterprise, and Kevin will be instrumental in propelling our dramatic growth even further.”.