Uzabase CEO Yusuke Umeda sent the following message to the staff of Quartz on Monday about its changes:
Dear Quartz,
As you have now heard from Jay and Kevin, today we are introducing a new leadership team for Quartz.
Today is the first of a new chapter for Quartz, and I couldn’t be more excited to be on this journey with you. While Quartz officially became part of Uzabase last year, I have admired the company for years. Quartz is the first media business that truly combined quality journalism with mobile technology, and that approach really inspired me as I began to explore the media business — and that ultimately led to the launch of NewsPicks in Japan.
I believe the launch of Quartz was also the beginning of a new era in media, and my first meeting with Kevin in 2017 cemented that idea for me. I fell in love with Quartz because of the brand, the culture, and the loyal audience, who really are obsessed with the content and products you produce every day, even the advertising!
Quartz is a global brand that has already made an incredible impact in just seven years. I believe its biggest and best years are ahead of it and that it will be even more important and essential as a new generation of business leaders everywhere take the lead in shaping the global economy.
Kevin, Jay and Zach are inspiring founders and colleagues, and there isn’t enough room here to express my gratitude to them. Kevin is one of the most creative and forward-thinking journalists of his generation. I see that reflected in so much of what I love about Quartz — its intelligence, its creativity and its voice — and I am so happy he will stay connected to Quartz, even as he formally steps away as editor.
In order to begin this next chapter, I am excited to appoint Zach as CEO with Katie as president, and Jay as Chairman. Zach’s impact on Quartz cannot be understated, and I know he shares my enthusiasm for our future. Katie has done a terrific job pushing Quartz Creative to be an industry leader, and I look forward to having her work more broadly in support of the entire business.
Uzabase is committed to Quartz for the long term and to building the leading media business for the next generation. I recognize the industry faces tough challenges, but as long as we put our best work into high-quality journalism, we will remain in a strong position. Let’s keep our focus on innovating and creating the great content and products we have been known for since the beginning.
There is so much more to come, and I am thrilled to start our new chapter.
Best,
Yusuke
