The Daily Mail has parted company with Jon Steinberg, the high profile chief of its US digital operation, after a little over a year.
Steinberg, the former senior Buzzfeed executive, joined the publisher to spearhead the US expansion of DailyMail.com last June.
The company said that Steinberg’s departure comes as part of a strategic shift away from an investment and acquisition strategy to one of growing the deals already struck.
In the last year, the Daily Mail has struck deals including acquiring cultural news website Elite Daily, for about $50m, and a native advertising joint venture with Snapchat and Sir Martin Sorrell’s WPP.
“Jon has played a leading role in building our digital media assets in the US,” said Martin Clarke, chief executive and publisher of parent Mail Online. “Our priority now is to concentrate on these investments and execute our organic growth strategy.”
Clarke added that the Steinberg’s departure has been “very amicably agreed”.
“Jon’s passions and strengths [are] in pursuing significant acquisitions and partnerships,” he said. “He has therefore decided to move onto his next challenge.”
Steinberg, 38, will leave at the end of the year to allow for an “orderly transition” of management responsibilities. He also led on investments in content discovery firm Taboola, Brit + Co, the media and e-commerce business targeting the craft community, and teen magazine Tiger Beat.
The Daily Mail also struck a deal with hit US talkshow host Dr Phil McGraw to make a daily news and entertainment TV programme that will launch next year.
“It has been a fantastic period of growth for DailyMail.com in the US,” said Steinberg. “I thank Martin and my team for a great experience, building and innovating an advertising business that we are all very proud of.”
