Time Inc. Archives

Time Inc. Announces New Structure for Technology & Product Engineering and Data Organizations

Kurt Rao Named Senior Vice President, Technology Operations

Jen Wong, President of Digital, Assumes Oversight of Time Inc. Product Engineering

Colin Bodell and Dr. JT Kostman To Leave Time Inc.

May 9, 2016

New York, NY (May 9, 2016) – Time Inc. (NYSE:TIME) today named Kurt Rao to the newly created position of Senior Vice President, Technology Operations. Rao, former VP and Corporate CIO of Time Warner Inc., will be responsible for leading the company's technology operations and infrastructure to continue to support Time Inc.’s digital strategy and technology platforms. Jen Wong, Time Inc. President of Digital, will assume oversight of product development and engineering. Both appointments are effective immediately. Time Inc. Chief Technology Officer Colin Bodell will be leaving the company.

The company also announced that as part of Time Inc.’s focus on leveraging the combined media and data assets of its newly acquired Viant subsidiary, Dr. JT Kostman will also be leaving the company.

Chairman and CEO Joe Ripp said, “Kurt has a proven record of providing vision and implementing strategic technology solutions for complex organizations. At the same time, moving product development and engineering under Jen's oversight will expedite the advancement of our digital assets. I want to thank both Colin and JT for the contributions they have made that have enabled us to arrive at this point.”

Wong will continue to report to Ripp. Rao will report to EVP and CFO Jeff Bairstow.

Rao has extensive experience working at large media companies on software development and managing infrastructure operations that support critical business functions. He was VP and Corporate CIO of Time Warner Inc. since 2007, having previously served as Vice President of Technology at NBC Universal. He has also worked at Vivendi, IAC Interactive and MTV Networks. Rao began his career at Viacom.

Wong has been driving Time Inc.’s digital transformation and helping to realize the promise of its powerful media brands. She joined the company in January in the new role of President of Digital and oversees the company’s digital and interactive strategies and operations. Each month Time Inc. reaches more than 150 million unique visitors via digital devices on a global scale. Before joining Time Inc., she led PopSugar Inc.’s business operations, engineering and growth strategy for media and commerce. Wong previously held several executive management positions at AOL, where she oversaw global business operations, and AOL Huffington Post Media Group’s lifestyle portfolio of brands. She also worked at McKinsey in the consultancy firm’s telecom, media and technology practices.


About Time Inc.

Time Inc. (NYSE:TIME) is one of the world's leading media companies, with a monthly global print audience of over 120 million and worldwide digital properties that attract more than 150 million visitors each month, including over 60 websites. Our influential brands include People, Sports Illustrated, InStyle, Time, Real Simple, Southern Living, Entertainment Weekly, Travel + Leisure, Cooking Light, Fortune and Food & Wine, as well as more than 50 diverse titles in the United Kingdom, such as Decanter, Horse & Hound and Wallpaper*. Time Inc. is home to celebrated franchises and events, including the Fortune 500, Time 100, People’s Sexiest Man Alive, Sports Illustrated’s Sportsperson of the Year, the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, the Essence Festival and the biennial Fortune Global Forum. Hundreds of thousands of people attend our live media events every year. We have been extending the power of our brands through various investments and acquisitions, including the formation of Sports Illustrated Play, a new business devoted to youth and amateur sports, and the acquisitions of INVNT, a company that specializes in live media, and Viant, an advertising technology firm with a specialized people-based marketing platform. We also provide content marketing, targeted local print and digital advertising programs, branded book publishing and marketing and support services, including subscription sales services for magazines and other products, retail distribution and marketing services and customer service and fulfillment services, for ourselves and third-party clients, including other magazine publishers.

CONTACT:

Jill Davison
212-522-0105
Jill.Davison@timeinc.com