Washington Post Publisher and Chief Executive Officer Fred Ryan is stepping down, the latest executive departure at the company as it tries to recapture subscriber growth seen during the Trump administration.
(Bloomberg) — Washington Post Publisher and Chief Executive Officer Fred Ryan is stepping down, the latest executive departure at the company as it tries to recapture subscriber growth seen during the Trump administration.
Patty Stonesifer, founding chief executive officer of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, has been appointed interim CEO, the Post said in a statement Monday. Stonesifer will lead the search for a new publisher and CEO, the company said. She’s also a board member at Amazon.com Inc., which was founded by the Post’s owner, billionaire Jeff Bezos.
Subscribers at the Post surged during the Trump administration as the newsroom broke big stories about the president. But management has struggled to keep that going and the company was on track to lose money last year, according to the New York Times. In January, the Post laid off 20 employees.
Ryan, who was the Post’s publisher for nine years, will remain in that role until August. He’s leaving to lead the newly formed, nonpartisan Center on Public Civility at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation.
In March, the New York Times named Joy Robins, the Post’s chief revenue officer, as global chief advertising officer.Â
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