Meredith Names Tom Harty President-COO

Meredith Corp. said today that its board of directors restructured its senior management, naming Tom Harty as president and chief operating officer, effective immediately.

In his new role, Harty, 53, will oversee Meredith’s National and Local Media Groups. Harty will continue to report to Meredith Chairman-CEO Steve Lacy, allowing Lacy, 62, to “focus more on long-term strategy, business expansion and acquisition activities,” the company said.

The board also elected Jon Werther to succeed Harty as National Media Group President. Werther, 47, currently is president of Meredith Digital. He also has oversight of the Better Homes and Gardens and Martha Stewart Living media brands. 

“I’m excited to lead the best team in the media and marketing industry,” Harty said. “Here at Meredith, we are well-known for a collaborative culture that is highly effective in the marketplace. With our tremendous brands, we are well-positioned to continue expanding our connection to consumers and help clients who want to reach them.

“I am particularly eager to work alongside Paul Karpowicz and our Local Media Group leadership team,” Harty continued. “Paul has done a tremendous job building the best-run television station group in the industry, and I look forward to working with him to aggressively expand its footprint.”

Harty joined Meredith in 2004 as vice president of its Magazine Group and subsequently served as its chief revenue officer and president of consumer magazines. He was named National Media Group president in 2010. Immediately prior to joining Meredith, Harty was SVP for The Golf Digest Companies, a division of Advance Publications. His experience includes senior leadership positions with several of the industry’s largest titles.

Harty earned an MBA from Iona College and a bachelor’s degree from Castleton University. He currently serves as treasurer and on the board of the Association of Magazine Media.

Werther joined Meredith in 2012 as chief strategy officer and was promoted to president of Meredith Digital in 2013. He has led a rapid expansion of Meredith Digital, including the integration of Allrecipes.com and the acquisition and integration of profitable businesses such as Selectable Media, ShopNation and Qponix. He expanded his role to include oversight of Meredith’s flagship Better Homes and Gardens brand, and then led the integration of the Martha Stewart Living brand into the Meredith portfolio.

After beginning his career as a transactional attorney, Werther spent more than 10 years in positions of increasing scale and responsibility at Time Warner and its AOL division.

Werther earned an MBA from The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania; a law degree from George Washington University; and a bachelor’s degree from Emory University.