Friday, January 18, 2013

PointRoll | A chief operating officer, but no CEO?

In a news release announcing a series of management changes, I noticed the appearance of a senior officer's title that prolongs the mystery of a months' old leadership switcheroo at Gannett's ad services subsidiary, PointRoll.

Oliver Knowlton was quoted in the release as being the chief operating officer, rather than CEO -- traditionally, the title given to the most-senior executive at a company. On the other hand, the COO is usually the No. 2 exec.

Corporate, with little public fanfare, handed the reins to Knowlton after Rob Gatto quit as CEO in September. Knowlton's title suggests that Corporate may still be hunting for a permanent CEO. The outcome is of considerable interest beyond PointRoll because the subsidiary has been an important part of GCI's digital portfolio.

¿QuĂ© pasa, PointRollers? Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write jimhopkins[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the rail, upper right.

5 comments:

  1. Just promote one of the useless VPs or Directors from to the role. Why hire someone from outside Pointroll with actual experience and skills when no one else in charge seems to have any? Maybe Gannett is letting the VPs and Directors do the interviews and they can't find someone who is cool enough.

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  2. It's a minor, wholly owned subsidiary. Position titles are meaningless. You could just as easily call the position general manager, or vice president — or eliminate it altogether.

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  3. Rubel, are you or Victor interested in the job?

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  4. Gannett is aggressively looking for a CEO for PointRoll. They are reaching out to many senior leaders in the Philadelphia and New York area. No one wants the job though - the company is beyond repair. It will continue to be run into the ground until there is nothing left.

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