Refocused XLMedia hires Ken Dorward as US business lead 

XLMedia has this morning confirmed the appointment of Ken Dorward as President of North America and a member of its Global Executive Committee.

Dorward joins the London AIM digital publisher having formerly served as Chief Operations Officer of leading US affiliate network Rakuten Inc, where he spearheaded global partnerships, media assets and publisher management.

The appointment of Dorward as North American business lead follows a period of consolidation across the firm’s publishing portfolio. XLMedia is concentrating on high-value markets to deliver long-term sustainable growth.

Dorward will be charged with leading XLMedia’s North American business strategy, which sees the company target the rapid expansion of its publishing assets within the sports and personal finance sectors.

Following an overhaul of group strategy during Q1 trading, XLMedia confirmed that it would focus on strategic market partnerships, as well as the acquisition and development of content-rich, highly engaging sites.

Stuart Simms, Chief Executive Officer of XLMedia, commented: “I am very excited to have Ken join the XLMedia team.  Ken has a deep understanding of our industry and a proven track record of delivery.  This is another step in the execution of XLMedia’s transformation strategy to deliver the next phase of growth.

“I, and the rest of the team, very much look forward to working with Ken to drive rapid progress outside Europe, and to begin to make material inroads into the attractive US Personal Finance and Sports markets.”