News Corp. on Tuesday announced the hiring of former AOL executive John McKinley to the newly created role of chief technology officer.
McKinley, who will also carry the dual title of president of technology for News Corp. Digital Media Group, will report to Jon Miller, the conglomerate's chief digital officer.
McKinley is set to work closely with Miller to, as the News Corp. announcement puts it, "extend the company's core media business into the digital space."
That includes acting as the product design and technical lead for The Daily, the new iPad-based newspaper that's set to launch Wednesday.
Here's the full News Corp. announcement:
John McKinley Appointed Chief Technology Officer for News Corporation and President of Technology for News Corp. Digital Media Group
NEW YORK, NY, February 1, 2011 – News Corporation today announced the appointment of John McKinley to the dual role of Chief Technology Officer for News Corporation and President of Technology for News Corp. Digital Media Group. In this newly-created role, Mr. McKinley will report to Chief Digital Officer, Jon Miller and will be responsible for developing new digital products, while also working closely with Mr. Miller and key division executives to extend the Company’s core media businesses into the digital space.
Mr. McKinley has been acting as the product design and technical lead for The Daily, scheduled to launch this week.
Prior to joining News Corporation, McKinley worked both in senior executive roles at large corporations and as a successful entrepreneur and investor. He served for three years as Chief Technology Officer and President of Digital Services for AOL, and previously was EVP and Head of Global Technology and Services for Merrill Lynch. Earlier in his career, McKinley was both CTO and CIO at GE Capital, and began his career at Ernst & Young, eventually becoming a partner in the firm.
Most recently, John was founder and CEO of OurParents, an online service focused on assisting adult children with aging parents, and he has also been an active early-stage investor, with several of his portfolio companies recently selling to Google, Microsoft, Yahoo!, Symantec and others over past several years. He serves on the Board of Directors of Equifax, and is a graduate of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
News Corporation(NASDAQ: NWS, NWSA; ASX: NWS, NWSLV) had total assets as of September 30, 2010 of approximately US$56 billion and total annual revenues of approximately US$33 billion. News Corporation is a diversified global media company with operations in six industry segments: cable network programming; filmed entertainment; television; direct broadcast satellite television; publishing; and other. The activities of News Corporation are conducted principally in the United States, Continental Europe, the United Kingdom, Australia, Asia and Latin America.
