Gannett, parent of USA Today, has hired a headhunting firm to search for a new chief digital officer — but the search so far has been a slog, Media Ink has learned.
“They are having a tough time filling it,” one person with knowledge of the matter whispered. “The executive suite is already pretty crowded, and it’s hard to see exactly where you fit in the mix.”
As an enticement, the headhunter is said to be telling prospective candidates that the job could be the No. 2 spot in the executive suite and potentially lead to the chief executive post.
But a second person downplayed that promise.
“I think they tell everyone that they talk to that they could be the next CEO,” that person noted.
Robert Dickey, 59, currently holds the president and CEO title. No serious transition is in the works, sources said.
After a restructuring in 2015, Maribel Perez Wadsworth, the chief transformation officer and a senior VP, appears to have elbowed her way into the No. 2 slot.
USA Today Editor-in-Chief Joanne Lipman is also the chief content officer, overseeing the company’s 110 local papers.
Lipman is now viewed as the No. 3 executive — on the same level as John Zidich, the head of domestic publishing.
“Companies hire executive search firms all the time, and it’s no secret that we’re always looking for good digital talent,” said a Gannett spokesperson.