- Company’s First Female CEO Is an Industry Veteran with 20+ Years Digital Strategy Experience
- Reinvented the Business with the SheKnows Partner Network, #Femvertising and BlogHer Creators Summit
Penske Media Corporation today announced the promotion of Samantha Skeyfrom President and Chief Revenue Officer to Chief Executive Officer of SheKnows Media.
Skey will lead SheKnows.com, which caters to moms, STYLECASTER for millennial fashion and beauty enthusiasts and BlogHer, the largest event for female content creators and entrepreneurs. These brands represent the flagship sites in the SheKnows Partner Network, which, along with top lifestyle sites, provides content and community to 75 million women each month (comScore, June 2018).
This promotion makes Skey the company’s first female CEO. SheKnows Media has taken strides to build a culture that represents its mission of empowering women. Over the last five years, the company’s executive leadership team has shifted from nearly all men to one that’s predominantly female. Now, 80% of SheKnows Media executives at the Vice President level and above are female.
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“Sam is one of the finest media executives we’ve encountered over the last decade,” said Jay Penske, Chairman & CEO, Penske Media Corporation. “Her plans for SheKnows are grounded in a deep belief in the mission, and the boundless potential of the business and its offerings.”
Additionally, Skey leads vision and social mission for SheKnows Media. In 2014, she created the #Femvertising Awards to celebrate brands whose advertising defies gender stereotypes and empowers women and girls. The #Femvertising Awards are in their fourth year and have been featured in AdWeek, Forbes, CNN.com, Huffington Post, and more. In February 2015, the company launched Hatch, a national digital literacy program for “Generation Z.” Hatch has won five Telly Awards for producing social impact video content. Likewise, Skey launched #ThePitch, the company’s program supporting female entrepreneurs, in May 2015 and has since created marketing programs for hundreds of entrepreneurs and business leaders.
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Next, she will lead #BlogHer18 Creators Summit in New York City, August 8-9. Now in its 14th year, this event attracts 2,000+ female bloggers, social media influencers and entrepreneurs alongside top-tier talent such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Kim Kardashian West and Serena Williams.
“I am incredibly honored and humbled to take on this new role and thankful to Jay for his confidence in me to run SheKnows. I am beyond proud of our team and the success we have built together over the past five years,” said Skey. “Across our branded media, influencer, programmatic and live events business lines, I look forward to finding new opportunities in the marketplace to inspire, inform and empower women everywhere.”
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Skey will continue to serve on the Board of Directors of The Ad Council and The Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB).
“SheKnows Media creates spaces for women to build community, share their experiences, celebrate each other’s wins, and empower each other through challenges. This incredible brand is a direct reflection of its dynamic leader and new CEO, Sam Skey,” said Lisa Sherman, President & CEO, The Ad Council. “Her innovation, creativity and mission-driven leadership have taken SheKnows Media to the forefront of media created by women for women. She’s been an incredible partner to the Ad Council as a member of our Board of Directors, and I can’t wait to see what she and her team continue to build together.”
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