Torstar has appointed Brandon Grosvenor as its new Chief Revenue Officer, responsible for revenue from advertising sales throughout the organization that owns the Toronto Star.
Grosvenor, who was serving as Acting Executive Vice President of Advertising, has been with Torstar since 2015.
He’s no stranger to the news business: Before joining Torstar, Grosvenor served in executive sales and marketing positions at various organizations, including Postmedia Network Inc. and Sun Media, as well as Microsoft, CanWest, and Yellow Pages. He has also served on various boards of directors, including the Canadian Association of Newspapers.
Grosvenor said the last decade working in the news business has been tumultuous. He said that while digital is clearly the future, now is not the time to abandon print.
The advantage of digital is in knowing the audience, Grosvenor said, adding that digital learning can be used for the printed product.
“We have an opportunity in front of us,” he said.
Grosvenor said he is excited about the technical advances Torstar has been making to keep up with the changing advertising business, including a new data management platform. There are other important deals in the works, to be announced soon, he said.
“It is going to be a very exciting journey.”
Lorenzo DeMarchi, Torstar’s Acting CEO, said Grosvenor’s experience in the news industry is an asset.
“He understands where the business comes from. But he’s a very, very thoughtful and forward-thinking digital leader, ”he said.
Torstar is on the path from its traditional past to a digital future, DeMarchi said.
“Brandon has been a big part of driving the data side of the digital advertising products that we offer,” he said.
DeMarchi also pointed out the importance of print. In fact, the print side can benefit from digital data, he said.
“We have to continue to assist and nurture that business, but we have to keep our eyes firmly on the future.”
Reference-www.thestar.com