The Independent has hired a new president to oversee its business in North America through its “next phase of growth”.
Chris Anthony has just spent four years as chief revenue officer at VaynerX-owned Gallery Media Group, a profitable publisher that owns women’s title PureWow and more than 50 social-only brands like @moms and @cocktails.
Anthony replaces Zach Leonard, who became The Independent’s first global chief operating officer and president, North America in 2023 with the aim of growing the business in the US.
Earlier this year Leonard left that role to become executive director of foundation development, leading The Independent’s partnerships with potential funders of its journalism.
Independent Media chief executive Christian Broughton said: “Our performance in North America in recent years has been a stand-out success story among media businesses, and Chris’ track record and leadership in successfully scaling innovative digital media businesses will prove invaluable as we enter our next phase of growth.”
The US now makes up a quarter of Independent Media’s total revenue. As well as The Independent, Independent Media comprises The Standard and the UK operations of Buzzfeed, Huffpost, Tasty and Seasoned.
Anthony will also help to further expand video arm Independent Studio, e-commerce, and AI innovation such as bullet-point news service Bulletin. The Independent said that these growth pillars plus US revenue make up more than 60% of total global revenue.
Anthony said: “In a media environment where original reporting is increasingly scarce and trust is in short supply, The Independent’s 40-year track record of outstanding journalism is a hugely valuable commercial differentiator and one which will continue to underpin our growth here in North America. Crucially, we are strengthening this journalism with significant investment in both AI and talent-led media.
“What the team has built on this side of the Atlantic has been remarkable, but we believe that this is just the beginning.”
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