Media and publishing company Future plc, which owns a stable of 250 special-interest magazines and sites, has hired digital media veteran Jon Steinberg as CEO.
Steinberg will take over for Zillah Byng-Thorne, who announced her plans to step down as the U.K.-based company’s CEO last September after nine years. Steinberg will join Future on April 3; Byng-Thorne will “remain available to support Jon” over a two-month transition period, according to the company.
Steinberg previously was president of Altice USA’s news and advertising division, encompassing News 12, i24NEWS, Cheddar News and Altice USA’s a4 advertising unit. He had joined Altice through its $200 million acquisition of Cheddar, a digital-first news start-up he founded in 2016.
Prior to Cheddar, he was CEO of DailyMail North America and before that was BuzzFeed’s president and COO. Earlier in his career, Steinberg worked at Google as a strategic partner development manager and at consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton.
“Jon has highly valuable expertise and has developed a fantastic track record, combining entrepreneurialism with leadership at some of the very best digital and media organizations operating at scale,” Future chair Richard Huntingford said in announcing the appointment. “He is a charismatic leader with a deep understanding and passion for media, particularly how technology, creativity and innovation can be harnessed to accelerate growth and build significant value for stakeholders. As we look to further extend Future’s leadership, particularly in the U.S., Jon is a natural fit.”
Steinberg, in a statement provided by the company, said: “I am delighted to be joining Future. It is a business that I’ve followed closely and long admired for the way it has redefined the media playbook, marrying the best of editorial and technology. I look forward to working with the board and the leadership team to build on the success achieved under Zillah’s tenure.”
Future, based in Bath, Somerset, England, reported revenue of £825.4 million (up 36% year over year) and net income of £122.2 million (+85%) for full-year 2022. The company had 2,989 employees as of the end of last year.
The company claims its brands reach one in three adults online in the U.K. and U.S. Future’s brands include TechRadar, PC Gamer, Tom’s Guide, Android Central, Truly, The Week, Kiplinger, GoCompare, Digital Camera World, Homebuilding & Renovating Show, GamesRadar+, The Photography Show, Top Ten Reviews, Marie Claire, Live Science, Guitar World, MusicRadar, Space, Who What Wear, What to Watch, Gardening Etc, Adventure and Tom’s Hardware.
Steinberg is currently senior adviser to The Raine Group, providing counsel to the investment bank’s media portfolio companies on strategy, a role which he will step down from before he joins Future. He also is a non-executive director of The City, a New York City not-for-profit focused on the coverage of local government.
