A pair of media executives considered to be pioneers in digital technology, consumer marketing and business transformations have joined the Davenport-based publisher Lee Enterprises, Inc. board.
In a news release Thursday, July 18, Lee announced the appointments of Madeline McIntosh and Jon Miller. The two new board members fill retirement vacancies and bring Lee’s board back to nine members.
“Madeline and Jon bring unique backgrounds and impressive perspectives as independent directors to help us propel Lee’s digital successes even farther and faster,” Lee Chairman Mary Junck said in the release. “Our board is thrilled to gain their wisdom and foresight as we accelerate Lee’s transformation in providing our market-leading news, information and advertising in compelling new ways.”
Ms. McIntosh brings decades of experience leading business transformations. She currently is the CEO and publisher of Authors Equity, Inc., launched in March. The book publishing company is dedicated to a reshaped relationship with authors and publishing talent.
Its emphasis on profit sharing, flexibility, transparency and long-term collaboration has drawn a wide-ranging list of bestselling and emerging authors, with the first books coming to market in fall 2024.
Mr. Miller is a senior executive and investor at the intersection of technology and media.
As the chairman and CEO of AOL, Inc., he oversaw the world’s largest digital news site. As chairman and CEO of News Corp Digital Media Group, he was responsible for digital strategy and presence for all television and print publications globally.
For the past eight years, he has been president and CEO of USA Interactive (now IAC), and a partner in venture capital firm Advancit Capital with the chairman of Paramount Global, Shari Redstone, where he has invested in more than 100 companies.
In its release, Lee said Ms. McIntosh is known for her belief in the critical importance of nurturing creative talent during the age of the algorithm and, now, of AI. Her leadership has been celebrated by Forbes (2021 “50 Over 50: Vision” list), Girls Write Now (2021 “Agent of Change” award), and the UJA (2022 Publishing Titan Award).
Previously, she was CEO of the world’s largest book publisher, Penguin Random House US. While there and during a post at Amazon, she was a key leader in the changing consumer book market, which saw the birth of ecommerce, digital audio and ebooks.
She serves as an independent director of Simon & Schuster, the global book publisher acquired by KKR in 2023. She is president of Poets & Writers, a nonprofit dedicated to serving the needs of creative writers, and an advisor to Shimmr AI, a startup developing AI-supported ad tech for books. She is a regular speaker about the future of book publishing.
“I am honored to join the board of Lee Enterprises, a company whose rich journalistic history extends back to when Mark Twain was still Sam Clemens, and whose future looks bright indeed,” she said, adding “I look forward to doing all I can to support the board and management team in this vital work.”
Mr. Miller has served as a director of public and private companies, including the boards of BBC News Worldwide, RTL Broadcasting, NY Public Radio, Akamai, Nielsen, First Look Media, Expedia, Trip Advisor and the Interpublic Group. He was executive producer of Live 8, the largest charity event ever produced and an advisor on a related follow up initiative, Live Earth.
He is senior media advisor to Global Citizen and its upcoming Global Live series of events. He is also an advisor to the Office of the Vice Provost for Advances in Learning at Harvard University, having previously served in that capacity with Harvard/MIT joint venture EdX.
Mr. Miller has been honored as a UJA ‘Media Man of the Year’ and was awarded the Inaugural Pioneer Prize, Producers Guild of America, the Inaugural Vanguard Award, International Emmy Association, the Digital Power Player of the Year, Hollywood Reporter, and the Monaco Media Festival, Interactive Pioneer Award.
“I have admired Lee’s content quality and digital advances in a challenging media landscape,” he said, adding “and I see those challenges full of exciting opportunities, especially for an innovative, locally focused provider such as Lee.”
Lee, the parent company of the Quad-City Times and Moline Dispatch/Argus, is a leading provider of local news and information with daily newspapers, digital products and nearly 350 weekly and specialty publications serving 73 markets in 26 states.
