Kevin Gentzel named global chief commercial and growth officer of Newsweek

Dev Pragad, CEO of Newsweek, today announced the appointment of media and advertising industry leader Kevin Gentzel to the post of global chief commercial and growth officer. In this new leadership team role, he will oversee the entire commercial business side of the operation, including direct sales and programmatic advertising programs, consumer and B2B events, the development of innovative digital marketing solutions, and other key revenue streams. Gentzel most recently served as chief revenue officer at Gannett, where he led all advertising and marketing solutions revenue in North America, including USA TODAY, ReachLocal and over 260 local news properties — responsible for over $1B in revenue. His deep expertise in media ad sales also includes leadership roles at Yahoo, The Washington Post and 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 Pragad. "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."

"I am excited to join the Newsweek executive team at this important point in the company's growth and digital transformation," said Gentzel. "What Dev and the team have accomplished over the past four years is remarkable, turning the brand and business around while driving top and bottom-line growth. Working together, we will create a commercial strategy that will build on this momentum into 2023 and beyond. I am really looking forward to expanding our commercial opportunities with consumers, partners, and advertisers — Newsweek has so much potential for growth."

During his tenure at Gannett, Gentzel and his team launched the GET Creative branded content studio, created the "LOCALIQ" brand for digital marketing solutions, developed industry leading ad products including in Virtual Reality, and led the National USA TODAY advertising business to six consecutive years of growth.

Previously as Yahoo's head of advertising sales for North America, Gentzel oversaw the operations of the sales organization from developing new revenue streams and sales strategies to leading client meetings and activities at key industry events. Under his leadership, the team was responsible for $4B in advertising revenue.

During his previous role as the CRO at The Washington Post, he was responsible for launching and building the TWP Brand Studio, along with driving revenue across all products including print, digital, events and conferences. Gentzel led the advertising sales and services team through the acquisition of the company by Jeff Bezos.

Prior to The Washington Post, Gentzel was president and group publisher at Forbes Media before assuming the role of CRO in 2010, in which he led ad product innovation, including the development of AdVoice, developed a chief marketing officer practice, and cultivated a world-class sales leadership team of which members are current innovators, leaders and C-level executives across the media, tech and advertising industries.

About Newsweek:

Newsweek is the modern global digital news organization built around the iconic, over 89-year-old American magazine. Newsweek reaches 100 million people each month with its thought-provoking news, opinion, images, graphics and video delivered across a dozen print and digital platforms. Headquartered in New York City, Newsweek also publishes international editions in EMEA and Asia.