Future has named its executive vice president of business-to-consumer operations and former chief technology officer, Kevin Li Ying, as its next CEO.
Li Ying will succeed Jon Steinberg, who announced he was stepping down as Future CEO in October, on 31 March. Steinberg will act as a senior advisor until 30 June to ensure a smooth transition.
Future said there had been a “thorough search process” for its next CEO before appointing Li Ying, who has been at the company for more than 20 years.
The company said he “has been a key contributor to the successful transformation of the company from a traditional print publisher into a leading global digital media platform of today”.
In his current role as EVP of B2C he has full responsibility for all Future B2C brands, its largest division, including editorial and revenue generation across advertising, e-commerce, subscriptions and circulation.
He has also been leading on Future’s Growth Acceleration Strategy, first announced in December 2023, which is a two-year programme based around reaching “valuable audiences”, optimising the portfolio and diversifying and growing revenue per user. Investment has taken places across areas like the US, reviews, video and branded content.
Li Ying was previously chief technology officer for eight years and was formerly chief technical architect. Future said he had led the development of its proprietary technology and infrastructure, including its e-commerce tech.
Future chairman Richard Huntingford said: “Kevin is a strong visionary leader with an unmatched knowledge of the Group, from its tech stack to its revenue streams.”
Li Ying said: “It is a great honour and a true privilege to have been asked to lead Future, a company that I love and I am proud to have helped to transform over the last 20 years.
“I look forward to continue to execute on the strategy, and am excited about our growth opportunities, building on our track record of innovation and producing excellent content and products to attract valuable audiences through a platform-agnostic approach.”
Steinberg, a former Buzzfeed and Mail Online executive who founded financial news streaming service Cheddar News, will have been in the Future CEO role for two years when Li Ying takes over. He plans to relocate back to the US.
Before Steinberg, Zillah Byng-Thorne held the role for almost nine years.
Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog
