WSJ makes digital newsroom leadership appointments

Wall Street Journal managing editor Gerry Baker made the following announcement on Thursday:

Our digital transformation continues apace.  In recent weeks, we’ve successfully launched a new platform for WSJ.com and its mobile editions. We have taken on important new product and design responsibilities in the newsroom and welcomed the arrival of a substantial team of designers and other staff from the product department. Now we’re taking a necessary and important next step: new leadership appointments for key digital roles.

Erin White is promoted to Editor, Digital News, responsible for managing the newsroom’s live news flow and shaping day-to-day, minute-by-minute digital news storytelling. Erin will continue to lead the team of home page managers. She will also remain deputy real-time news editor, working with Steve Wisnefski to channel the round-the-clock flow of news onto the various platforms.  Our real time news for Newswires continues to be a crucial priority for us and Steve and Erin will lead us masterfully to further opportunities for our professional audience.

While Erin oversees the daily news operations, we are creating leadership roles with responsibility for the development of our digital news products and innovation.

Jenn Hicks is promoted to Executive Digital Editor, responsible for developing our website and new digital features, and for continuously improving user experience of our digital products. In this role, she’ll work closely with the hub, as well as with colleagues on the business side. She will oversee a team of new colleagues who’ve joined us from the product side, including Neesha Patel, who is appointed Editor, vertical products, and Sarah Pesin, who is appointed Editor, newsletter products.

David Ho is appointed Executive Mobile Editor, responsible for developing and managing our iPad and iPhone apps, as well as our Android products. David will continue to oversee a team of mobile apps editors, which will soon expand.

Carla Zanoni is appointed Executive Emerging Media Editor. Carla will take on responsibility for exploring and developing state-of-the-art news delivery and storytelling, including new social media platforms and texting platforms. Carla will also continue her current role as Audience Development Director, which includes managing the social media team and our newsroom analytics team.

Erin will report to Matt Murray; Jenn, David and Carla will report to Almar Latour.

This is an important step forward in the evolution of our news organization to put us at the forefront of the rapidly changing world of digital news. We now have senior leaders in place whose responsibility is to ensure the reader and viewer has the best experience possible – on smartphone, tablet, watch, desktop or anywhere else that innovation leads us.

Please join me in wishing our new digital leadership the best of luck in their important new roles.