Cathleen Black
Cathleen Black is president of Hearst Magazines, a unit of Hearst Corporation and among the world’s largest publishers of magazines. Her job puts 15 of the most well read magazines under her watch including Esquire; Good Housekeeping; Cosmopolitan; Popular Mechanics; Harper’s BAZAAR; O, The Oprah Magazine; Town & Country; Redbook; and Marie Claire. Black’s thrust is on aggressive international marketing, where these popular titles are distributed in over 100 countries.
Cathleen Black’s career in publishing and advertising has earned her the moniker “First Lady of American Magazines” for her unparalleled success and accomplishments in those two fields. In 2004, she helped make possible Hearst’s $1.6 billion revenue in advertising.
A graduate of Trinity College in Washington, DC, Cathleen Black started out by selling ads for Holiday magazine in 1966. Six years later, she moved to Ms. Magazine as head in advertising sales. In 1979, she became the first woman publisher of New York Magazine and president of USA Today in 1983. In 1991, she served as president and CEO of the Newspaper Association of America before joining Hearst in 1996.
Black consistently appears in Fortune magazine’s 50 Most Powerful Women in American Business list every year since 1998. She also received recognition as one of New York City’s 100 Most Influential Women in Business, and received the 2007 Prism Award from New York University for her leadership in the graphic arts and communications industry.
Cathleen Black published an inspirational book published by Random House entitled “BASIC BLACK: The Essential Guide for Getting Ahead at Work (and in Life),” which became a global best-seller, topping the Wall Street Journal Business Books list (Nov. 6, 2007), Business Week (Jan. 3, 2008), and the New York Times (Nov. 11, 2007). The book has been translated for circulation in 12 other countries.
Cathleen Black sits on the Board of IBM and The Coca-Cola Company.