Ken Harding has been appointed senior vice president of business effectiveness for Hearst Newspapers. The announcement was made by Hearst President and CEO Steven R. Swartz and Hearst Newspapers President Jeffrey Johnson. Harding’s appointment is effective immediately.
“Ken has been a valued strategic and operational advisor to the media business, and in particular, newspapers for many years,” Johnson said. “We are delighted that he has joined us to support our efforts to transform and grow our business.”
Previously, Harding served as senior managing director at FTI Consulting, where he provided strategic business, due diligence and operational advisory services and leadership to newspaper and media companies of varying sizes for over 10 years. Harding has led print-to-digital transformation strategy and modeling for numerous newspapers and magazines, including assessing digital readiness and key strategic steps. His recent projects have delivered broad transformation and value-based solutions for advertiser and consumer revenue enhancement and expense optimization in advertising and news operations, production, transportation, circulation and delivery.
Prior to joining FTI Consulting, Harding served as president and CEO of Harding Consulting Alliance, a boutique consulting firm specializing in performance optimization across media businesses’ core functional areas. During his time at FTI Consulting and Harding Consulting Alliance, he served as a longtime advisor to Hearst Newspapers and other Hearst businesses.
“Newspapers are critical to any democracy, and I love the opportunity to be a part of their sustainable future,” Harding said. “There is no better company to do that with than Hearst.”
