Janet L. Robinson became president and chief executive officer of The New York Times Company on December 27, 2004 and retired from that position on December 31, 2011.
As chief executive officer, Ms. Robinson had primary responsibility for overseeing and coordinating all of the company’s print, digital and broadcast operations and business units and for charting the future direction of the Company. Ms. Robinson implemented a new, accelerated strategic plan that focused on leveraging the Company’s core asset, quality journalism, and expanding the Company’s reach across new and emerging forms of media. This included developing innovative new products in print and online, implementing operational efficiency and expense reduction across all business units and rebalancing the Company’s portfolio of businesses.
Previously, she had served as chief operating officer and executive vice president since February 2004. From February 2001 until January 2004, she served as senior vice president, newspaper operations for The New York Times Company. In this role, she led the operations of all of the Company’s newspaper properties, which included The New York Times, The Boston Globe, the International Herald Tribune and the regional newspapers. In addition, she was responsible for all digital and broadcast operations. She also held the position of president and general manager of The New York Times newspaper from 1996 until 2004. Ms. Robinson was elected director of the Company in December 2004.
During her tenure, she directed the transformation of advertising and subscription revenue growth in print and digital at all properties and the improvement in profit margins through expense reduction, operating efficiencies and pricing initiatives. She oversaw the completion of The Times’s conversion to color and section expansion, the creation and implementation of the national expansion of The New York Times and the entry of The New York Times into new and emerging digital media. She oversaw the integration of print and digital revenue sales and news creation and the development and implementation of the successful digital subscription models at The New York Times and The Boston Globe.
She created the industry’s first Research and Development laboratory within the Company to advance innovation across all business units. Prior to joining the newspaper, Ms. Robinson served as group senior vice president for the advertising sales and marketing unit of The New York Times Company Women’s Magazine Group (which has since been sold) since January 1992, and vice president of the group since September 1990.From June 1983 to August 1990, Ms. Robinson held several sales management positions with Golf Digest and Tennis Magazine that were formerly owned by The New York Times Company.
Before joining the Times Company, Ms. Robinson was a public school teacher in Newport, Rhode Island, and Somerset, Massachusetts.
Ms. Robinson serves as the honorary trustee and past Chairman of the Carnegie Corporation of New York. She serves as a member of International Advisory Board of Fleishman Hillard, one of the world’s leading strategic communications firms. She also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Ocean Point Financial Partners. Ms. Robinson serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Salve Regina University. She is a member of The Council of Foreign Relations and also serves as a member of the Leadership Committee for The Lincoln Center Consolidated Corporate Fund. She is the Co-Chairman of the Ad Council Advisory Board, a Trustee for the University of Rhode Island Oceanography Graduate School, and a Board member of the Preservation Society of Newport County.
Ms. Robinson received a BA degree in English from Salve Regina College, Newport, RI, where she graduated cum laude in 1972. She was presented with an honorary Doctorate of Business Administration degree from Salve Regina University in May 1998. She has also received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Pace University, an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, and an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Wheaton College. In 1996, she completed the Executive Education Program at Amos Tuck School at Dartmouth in Hanover, NH.