Hearst Autos Announces Executive Appointments And The Launch Of A New Vehicle Testing Group

HEARST AUTOS ANNOUNCES EXECUTIVE APPOINTMENTS AND THE LAUNCH OF A NEW VEHICLE TESTING GROUP

NEW YORK, January 9, 2019  Hearst Autos today announced new appointments to its executive team and the creation of a vehicle testing group called Hearst Autos Testing. The announcement was made by Hearst Autos CEO Matt Sanchez.

Eddie Alterman, editor-in-chief of Car and Driver since 2009 and editorial director of Road & Track since 2015, has been appointed to the newly created position of chief brand officer, effective immediately. In his new role, he will be responsible for developing new business strategies for Hearst Autos, working closely with the automotive community. Reporting to Hearst Autos President and Chief Revenue Officer Nick Matarazzo, Alterman will continue to serve as editor-in-chief of Car and Driver until a successor is named.

Mike Magrath has been named digital director of Car and Driver, also a newly created role. Magrath has more than a decade of experience in the digital automotive space, with a focus on in-market vehicle shoppers. He held multiple roles at Edmunds.com, where he wrote reviews and supported testing, ratings and social media. In addition to serving as an auto journalist, Magrath has worked as a product manager at both Edmunds and in the ad-tech space, testing and optimizing digital experiences across platforms. Magrath begins his new role immediately and will report to the editor-in-chief of Car and Driver.

Travis Okulski has been named editor-in-chief of Road & Track, overseeing the brand’s print and digital operations. Before joining Road & Track as digital director in 2015, Okulski was deputy editor and then editor-in-chief of Jalopnik. Earlier in his career, he was a reporter at Business InsiderRoad & Track’s editorial operations will move from Ann Arbor, Michigan, to New York, where Okulski will be based. He begins his new role on February 1, reporting to Sanchez. Kim Wolfkill, editor-in-chief of Road & Track since 2016, is leaving the company.

“Hearst Autos and its best-in-class brands are well-positioned in an industry undergoing tremendous disruption,” Sanchez said. “These talented leaders will be integral in helping our readers and partners navigate this exciting business as it continues to evolve.”

Also announced was Hearst Autos Testing, a newly formed group that builds on Car and Driver’s leadership in automotive testing, objective vehicle measurement and evaluation. Led by Dave VanderWerp, former deputy online editor of Car and Driver and an automotive engineer with decades of vehicle-testing experience, this dedicated team will be even better positioned to rigorously test and deliver independent results and insights that serve both car shoppers and the industry.

“Building on our extensive vehicle database, Hearst Autos Testing will further solidify our leadership position and help differentiate us in the marketplace,” Sanchez said. “As our relationship with cars and transportation rapidly changes, it is more important than ever that we have a sophisticated team that can perform testing that matters and deliver expert analysis to help car shoppers, manufacturers and dealers understand and make smarter decision about the new world of technology and buying.”

Hearst Autos encompasses Car and DriverRoad & Track and all automotive editorial, sales and marketing functions for Hearst Magazines, offering a full-funnel solution for auto manufacturers and dealers to guide shoppers from inspiration to purchase.

About Hearst Magazines

Hearst Magazines is a unit of Hearst, a leading global, diversified media, information and services company with more than 360 businesses. Hearst Magazines is one of the world’s largest publishers of magazine media across all platforms, with print and digital assets reaching a combined audience of 146 million readers and site visitors each month, including over 73 percent of all women and more than three-quarters of millennial women in the country. The company publishes more than 300 editions and 240 websites around the world, with 27 titles in the U.S. The division also operates iCrossing, a global, full-service digital marketing agency, and CDS Global, a business process provider. Hearst Magazines holds a majority stake in KUBRA, a customer experience management solutions company, and is a partner in the publishing services company PubWorX.