The New York Times CEO Mark Thompson: Rising to the Top & Finding Fulfilment in Challenge

“I’m always on a mission. It doesn’t mean that the mission is necessarily entirely apparent to me... even now, I’m not quite clear what it is that creates that shape. Although I think there is something about storytelling and really understanding what’s happening in the world. A sense of investigation and trying to get to the bottom of what’s really going on is part of it.” My guest this episode is New York Times CEO, Mark Thompson. Born in London, he grew up in Hertfordshire, UK. After graduating from Oxford University with a First Class Honors in English, he joined the BBC as a Trainee, quickly working his way up through the ranks, launching shows such as ‘Watchdog’ and ‘Breakfast Time’, before various stints as Editor on flagship news shows such as Newsnight, the Nine O’Clock News and Panorama. He became controller for BBC Two and was then appointed Director of Television, before leaving the BBC in 2002 to become CEO of Channel 4.  In 2004, he returned to take up the role of Director General at the BBC, during which time he reshaped the organization to meet the challenge of the digital age, with the launch of services such as the BBC iPlayer. On November 12th, 2012, he became President and CEO of the New York Times, making him responsible for leading the company’s strategy, operations and business units. Mark has been instrumental in accelerating the pace of The Times’s digital transformation. Under his leadership, The Times became the first news organization in the world to pass the one million digital-only subscription mark.  Having served at the helm of world-class media companies during the course of a career spanning over four decades, I was fascinated to hear more about what purpose and fulfilment mean to Mark. We talked all about: how he navigated the BBC in his early career, and how he eventually came to lead an organisation in which he started as a trainee. We also touched on moving to New York, the challenges he faces as the CEO of the New York Times, as well as his future ambitions.  Follow me: Twitter: @katiephilo (http://www.twitter.com/katiephilo) Instagram: @katiephilo (https://www.instagram.com/katiephilo) www.katiephilo.com (https://www.katiephilo.com/)