• by Melynda Fuller , April 4, 2019

After announcing last November that it would combine its U.S. and international arms, resulting in the departure of current CEO Bob Sauerberg, Conde Nast has named Roger Lynch its new global CEO.

In November, Jonathan Newhouse, CEO of Conde Nast International, and Steven Newhouse, chairman of Advance’s digital arm, stated in a company-wide memo: “What has become clear is that our aspirations are no longer best served by our historical structure of running two separate companies.”

Former CEO of Pandora, Lynch is the first person to hold the new role of global CEO and will join the Conde Nast board of directors  April 22. Lynch comes to Conde Nast with a seasoned career guiding consumer media and technology businesses through periods of high-growth and transformation.

Lynch’s work with Pandora, where he held the role of president in addition to CEO, he refocused the business on growth and investment initiatives. As a result, Pandora was led through a notable turnaround that led to generative positive returns.

Before Pandora, Lynch was the founding CEO of Sling TV. During his tenure at Sling, it became the No. 1 live OTT service in the U.S. Internationally, Lynch served as chairman and CEO of IPTV provider Video Networks International Ltd. in the U.K. and was president-CEO of Chello Broadband in Amsterdam. His work at Chello Broadband led to the widespread rollout of consumer broadband services across 10 European countries.

The company noted Lynch’s reputation as a “transformative leader with significant international experience and a proven track record building companies at the evolving intersection of media and technology.”

Board member Steve Newhouse noted Lynch’s “passion for great journalism, magazines that make a difference, and brands that have exceptional potential for growth,” stating that these attributes will allow Lynch to build on the work of Bob Sauerberg and Jonathan Newhouse “in extending our print brands into digital video, data and experiences.”

Conde Nast announced in tandem with Lynch’s appointment that Jonathan Newhouse will become the chairman of its board of directors. Newhouse has led Conde Nast International since 1990, turning the company from a regional magazine publisher in Western Europe to a global media entity reaching 32 markets, with more than 120 magazines and 100 websites.

During his tenure, Newhouse launched editions of Vogue across China, Russia, Japan, Poland, Holland, Greece and South Korea, among others, He also expanded GQ, Vanity Fair, Conde Nast Traveller, Architectural Digest, Wired and Glamour into global brands.

Newhouse also established a London-based Vogue editorial digital hub at Conde Nast International headquarters, allowing for the brand to better reach its growing global audience.