Celine Perrot-Johnson has been named executive vice president of operations and finance at Penske Media Corp., parent company of WWD and FN.
In this newly created role, Perrot-Johnson will work closely with operating executives Paul Rainey and Tom Finn, for the company, which has significantly expanded its reach over the past three years to span print and digital media, live events, festivals and real estate. She will oversee all business operations for PMC’s fashion, luxury, art and women’s-interest brands, including Fairchild Media Group, working closely with the existing editorial and business leadership teams. She will report to George Grobar, PMC’s chief operating officer. She will be based in New York.
Prior to joining PMC, Perrot-Johnson was chief financial officer of Complex Networks, where she led the company through a financial transformation and guided its acquisition by Buzzfeed. Prior to that, she was the head of the Paramount Global Corporate finance planning and analysis team and was responsible for overseeing the company’s consolidated forecast, communicating financial results to the board of directors and managing its incentive plan.
“We’re so proud to add Celine to our team during this time of growth at PMC,” said Jay Penske, chief executive officer, chairman and founder of PMC. “Celine brings incredible business acumen, strong operational leadership and invaluable insights to this role and I have no doubt she will be instrumental in shaping our strategy and success as we set the stage for the next 20 years of the company.”
Grobar added: “Celine is a strategic leader with extensive experience in the media and entertainment space. She brings a blend of deep financial and operational experience that has made her a trusted partner to executive teams, investment partners, boards and corporate advisers globally throughout her career. We are excited to be adding another proven leader to our team in New York City and look forward to the continuing evolution of the PMC brands under her leadership.”
Perrot-Johnson said she was eager to bring her “financial, strategic and operational expertise to a global leader in the media industry which has assembled and grown a unique portfolio of iconic brands. I look forward to collaborating with PMC’s visionary leaders and content creators to support the organization’s powerful cultural voice and expanding reach.”
In addition to WWD and its sister brands at Fairchild Media Group — Footwear News, Sourcing Journal and Beauty Inc — PMC also counts Variety, Rolling Stone, The Hollywood Reporter, Billboard, Dick Clark Productions, She Media, Robb Report, Deadline, Sportico, BGR, ARTnews, Vibe, IndieWire, Dirt, Artforum, Gold Derby, Spy.com and Luminate, a data and analytics company, in its portfolio.
This story was reported by WWD and originally appeared on WWD.com.
