Scripps Promotes Lisa Knutson, Doug Lyons

The E.W. Scripps Co. today appointed its chief strategy officer, Lisa Knutson, executive vice president and chief financial officer after a four-month, nationwide search.

Knutson, 52, has been serving as interim CFO since the departure of Tim Wesolowski in early October.

Knutson has deep experience in finance, accounting and human resources. Appointed chief strategy officer in August, she had added corporate development to her prior responsibilities as chief administrative officer: leading enterprise-wide strategic planning, consumer insights, human resources, information technology and corporate communications/investor relations. Prior to joining Scripps in 2005, she had worked most of her career at Fifth Third Bank and at Arthur Anderson, where she developed and oversaw an operating and sales budget for a $105 million multi-office practice and human resources and staffing across nine locations.

A certified public accountant, she has a bachelor’s in accountancy from Miami University.

“Lisa has been an instrumental player on our management team for more than a decade,” said Scripps President and CEO Adam Symson. “She served in key roles during the spinoff of Scripps Networks Interactive and the double-spin, double-merge transaction with the former Journal Communications that divested Scripps of newspapers and doubled our broadcast holdings. She is creative and solution-oriented about business strategy, and her strong leadership will help guide the company effectively through this next phase of restructuring and growth.”

The company also has promoted its controller and treasurer, Doug Lyons, to senior vice president, controller and treasurer.

Lyons, 60, has led the company’s accounting operations since the 2008 spinoff of SNI, including the centralization of accounting and finance operations. Most recently, he led the refinancing of the company’s borrowings and financing for the Katz acquisition this summer. 

Lyons joined Scripps in 1985 as assistant controller, and prior to his current role also served as director of financial reporting and vice president of finance and administration for the Interactive Media Division.

Prior to joining Scripps, he was an audit manager for Deloitte.

He graduated from the University of Dayton with a bachelor of science degree in accounting and serves as a member of its School of Business Advisory Council. He is a certified public accountant.