Dail Mail says Mike Rothman, based in New York, will lead its commercial activities in North America, and will focus on accelerating subscription growth and building partnerships with advertisers and agencies.
Mike Rothman brings experience in digital media to Daily Mail. Most recently he served as president of The Dispatch, a subscription-based digital news publisher built on trusted journalism. Before that, he co-founded Fatherly, a lifestyle and parenting advice platform brand for men, which he led to a successful exit.
He will report to Danny Groom, CEO and publisher, Daily Mail, and will work closely with Katie Davies, U.S. editor-in-chief.
Danny Groom said: “I am delighted that Mike has joined Daily Mail at an exciting moment in its evolution. We are investing in journalism and innovative digital products, with the aim of securing a successful long-term future for the business.
“Mike is a seasoned publishing executive and entrepreneur, and I am certain he will help us turbocharge subscription growth, and forge deeper relationships with advertisers in the U.S.”
Vere Harmsworth, executive chairman, Daily Mail, said: “The U.S. is pivotal to Daily Mail’s ambition to be the world’s leading news and entertainment publisher.
“Mike is a creative leader who can convert our brilliant journalism and vast reach into great outcomes for our advertising and commercial partners.”
Mike Rothman said: “I’m incredibly excited to get to work with the team. I have already had the pleasure of connecting with many colleagues across the New York and UK offices, and I’ve been deeply impressed by the talent and enthusiasm from everyone.
“As a long-time student of media businesses, I’ve always admired Daily Mail’s rich history and distinctive voice across platforms. I’m particularly energised by the opportunity in front of us: to harness that scale at a moment when media business models are rapidly evolving.
“I’m looking forward to partnering with Katie and the broader team to build a commercial engine that matches our editorial ambition and positions the business for its next chapter of growth.”
Mike Rothman has more than two decades of experience in media, publishing and technology. He was a founding employee of Thrillist, which he helped build into an influential digital media brand, before founding Fatherly in 2013.
During his tenure at The Dispatch, he helped grow its audience to 50,000 paying members, 700,000 subscribers, and 1.5 million monthly podcast listeners, says the publisher. A graduate of Brown University, he started his media career with a scriptwriting internship at the Conan O’Brien show.
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