Tom Harty is a proven and experienced media industry chief executive. He retired in December 2021 as Board Chairman, CEO and President of Meredith Corporation, one of the nation’s largest multi-platform media and marketing companies that generated $3 billion in annual revenue with over five thousand employees. He continues to provide strategic guidance to a number of industry organizations and associations.
During Harty’s tenure as Meredith’s CEO, the company achieved a combined digital reach of more than 150 million, was the No. 1 U.S. magazine operator and ranked as the No. 2 brand licensor globally. Additionally, Meredith’s television stations reached 30 million Americans in fast-growing markets.
Harty’s final achievement was the successful December 2021 split and sale of the company’s two business divisions. Meredith’s 17 local television stations were acquired by Gray Television for $2.85 billion. Its corporate operations and portfolio of 40+ iconic cross-platform media brands – including PEOPLE, Better Homes & Gardens, Allrecipes, Southern Living and REAL SIMPLE – were purchased by IAC’s Dotdash for $2.7 billion.
Combined, the $5.5 billion dollar sale equated to a payout of $59.17 per share, capping a year where Meredith shareholders were the beneficiaries of a 200 percent share price increase.
Harty’s 35-year career in the media industry includes executive positions at The Golf Digest Companies; TV Guide; Reader’s Digest; The New York Times Company; Forbes; and Gruner + Jahr USA.
As an advisor to the media industry, Harty has shared his experiences to help organizations strengthen their financial position; adapt to the changing media and consumer landscape; diversify their assets and capabilities; strengthen their digital competencies; enhance relationships with advertising and marketing partners; and embrace and implement diversity and inclusion initiatives.
Harty is past chairman and a current member of the Association of Magazine Media’s Board of Directors. During his tenure in Des Moines leading Meredith, he was a board member of the Greater Des Moines Partnership, the United Way of Central Iowa, and the Iowa Business Council.
Harty earned an MBA from Iona College and a B.S. in business administration from Castleton University. He also completed the Harvard Business School’s prestigious Advanced Management Program.
