Independent Media, publisher of The Independent, has announced the appointment of Chris Anthony as president, North America. In his role as president, Chris will oversee Independent Media’s North American business, drive revenue growth and run all related operations.
He joins Independent Media from VaynerX, where he served as chief revenue officer at Gallery Media Group while simultaneously helping launch The Tamara Group, VaynerX’s third agency, as its founding chief client officer. Prior to this, Chris held senior executive roles at Group Nine Media and POPSUGAR, where he led both companies through pivotal growth phases spanning branded content, experiential, licensing and product development, says Independent Media.
Chris joins a business that has built a strong reputation for trusted, high-quality journalism in the region, under the editorial leadership of Louise Thomas, The Independent's US editor, Independent Media continued. Combined with an investment in digital storytelling and video journalism, Independent Media says it has achieved unparalleled success in North America in recent years. The US now accounts for 25% of Independent Media's total revenue.
Chris will also lead the growth of significant divisions that are already well established and growing fast in the UK: Independent Studio, AI innovation and Ecommerce. These key growth pillars, along with Independent Media’s US operations, already represent over 60% of global revenue, added Independent Media.
Independent Media’s network reach is on average 650 million users each month, with 1.1 billion content views worldwide across all brands and platforms, including web, apps, social media, podcasts, email, YouTube, syndication partners and print.
Reporting directly to Independent Media's CEO, Christian Broughton, Chris will be responsible for building on this momentum at a landmark moment for The Independent, which this year celebrates its 40th anniversary and 10 years as a fully digital publisher.
Chris Anthony, president, North America of Independent Media, said: “I am extremely proud to have been appointed to lead Independent Media’s North American business. In a media environment where original reporting is increasingly scarce and trust is in short supply, The Independent’s 40-year track record of outstanding journalism is a hugely valuable commercial differentiator and one which will continue to underpin our growth here in North America. Crucially, we are strengthening this journalism with significant investment in both AI and talent-led media. What the team has built on this side of the Atlantic has been remarkable, but we believe that this is just the beginning."
Christian Broughton, CEO of Independent Media, added: “We are delighted to have appointed Chris to this hugely important role. Our performance in North America in recent years has been a stand-out success story among media businesses, and Chris’ track record and leadership in successfully scaling innovative digital media businesses will prove invaluable as we enter our next phase of growth.”
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