NEW YORK, June 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Martha Stewart Living
Omnimedia, Inc. (NYSE: MSO) announced today that Susan Lyne has stepped down
from her posts as President and Chief Executive Officer. The company will
promote President of Media Wenda Harris Millard and President of Merchandising
Robin Marino to the positions of Co-CEO, reporting to Charles Koppelman,
Chairman of the Board. Ms. Lyne will stay on in an advisory role for a period
of time to ensure a smooth transition and will remain a director during that
period.
Ms. Lyne stated: "Four years ago when the Board asked me to take on this
role, our principal goal was to rebuild the company and return it to
profitability. We have done that. In the process we've launched some great
new businesses, built an impressive management team and re-affirmed the
enduring power of the Martha Stewart brand. While there is never a perfect
time to depart, the company is on sound footing and we expect the transition
to be very smooth. Wenda and Robin share Martha's vision of the company's
future, they understand our businesses and have earned the trust of our
partners. I couldn't be more pleased that the Board has selected them to
succeed me as co-CEOs."
Mr. Koppelman stated: "Susan has made tremendous contributions to MSLO
during a critical period for us. We are now profitable, our brand has never
been stronger, and the many partnerships we have forged in recent years leave
us well-positioned for growth. We have a deep bench of executive talent at
MSLO and are pleased to promote Wenda and Robin, two seasoned executives who
have been instrumental in helping us diversify our brand portfolio and revenue
streams. Under their leadership, we'll continue expanding our media and
merchandising businesses into new markets in and outside the U.S. and will
remain focused on creating value for shareholders."
Martha Stewart, Founder of MSLO, stated: "Our company is strong and
vibrant, and Susan's contributions have been key. Wenda and Robin are
passionate, consumer-oriented leaders with equally passionate teams -- all
committed to providing our customers with fine quality, beautifully designed
products and useful, practical, trusted information that enhances and improves
their everyday lives."
Ms. Millard oversees MSLO's Media businesses, which include Online,
Publishing, and Broadcasting, while Ms. Marino oversees MSLO's Merchandising
businesses, which include numerous licensing partnerships with retailers
including Macy's, Kmart, and 1-800-Flowers, as well as with manufacturers such
as EK Success and Bernhardt.
Wenda Harris Millard
Before joining MSLO in July 2007, Ms. Millard had been Chief Sales Officer
of Yahoo! since 2001. She is recognized for her pivotal role in introducing
marketers to the power of the digital world. She served on MSLO's Board of
Directors for three years. Before joining Yahoo!, Ms. Millard served as Chief
Internet Officer at Ziff Davis Media and President of Ziff Davis Internet; and
Executive Vice President and a founder of DoubleClick. In publishing, she held
a number of senior positions, including senior vice president and publisher of
Family Circle, then the world's largest-selling women's magazine. She helped
build such titles as Adweek and Working Woman. Ms. Millard currently serves as
Chairman of the Interactive Advertising Bureau and is a member of the Board of
Directors of the Ad Council.
Ms. Millard commented: "We've built an impressive team and organizational
structure that is smart, nimble, and driven to leverage our unique portfolio
of magazine, online, television, and radio properties. The foundation is
solid and we are now well-positioned to accelerate growth across multiple
channels."
Robin Marino
Ms. Marino joined MSLO in May 2005 from Kate Spade, where she was
President and COO of Kate Spade, Inc., overseeing all wholesale, retail and
licensing operations, as well as finance, production and general operations
for the company. She has nearly 30 years of experience in the department
store, wholesale and specialty retail segments of the merchandising business
in which she held key positions at leading companies including Macy's; Polo
Ralph Lauren Handbags and Luggage; and Burberry.
Ms. Marino stated: "We have transformed our Merchandising business from a
handful of licensing arrangements to a diversified portfolio of more than 15
dynamic partnerships. Our team is acutely focused on forging new
relationships while building upon our existing home decorating and lifestyle
programs to grow our business. We have powerful media platforms and we'll
continue to leverage them to make Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia the most
successful company dedicated to the home."
Broadcasting President Sheraton Kalouria will report to Ms. Millard. Mr.
Kalouria, who joined MSLO in 2005, manages the nationally syndicated program,
The Martha Stewart Show, Martha Stewart Living Radio on Sirius Satellite
Radio, the PBS series Everyday Food and Everyday Baking, Martha Stewart On
Demand, as well as international and cable distribution and original series
development.
About Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc.
Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. (NYSE: MSO) is a diversified media
and merchandising company, inspiring and engaging consumers with unique
lifestyle content and distinctive products. The Publishing segment encompasses
four magazines, including the company's flagship publication, Martha Stewart
Living, periodic special issues and books. The marthastewart.com website
provides consumers with instant access to MSLO's multimedia library, search
and find capabilities, recipes, online workshops, community and
personalization, as well as wedding-planning tools powered by WeddingWire. The
Broadcasting segment produces such programming as the Emmy-winning daily,
nationally syndicated television series, "The Martha Stewart Show," and Martha
Stewart Living Radio, channel 112 on SIRIUS Satellite Radio. In addition to
its media properties, MSLO offers high-quality Martha Stewart products through
licensing agreements with carefully selected companies, including the Martha
Stewart Collection exclusively at Macy's, Martha Stewart Everyday at Kmart,
Martha Stewart Crafts with EK Success, Martha Stewart for 1-800-Flowers.com
and a co-branded food line with Costco. In April 2008, Emeril Lagasse joined
the Martha Stewart family of brands; MSLO acquired the assets related to
Lagasse's media and merchandising business, including television programming,
cookbooks, and emerils.com website and his licensed kitchen and food products.
For additional information about MSLO, visit www.marthastewart.com.
Forward-Looking Statement
MSLO has included in this press release certain "forward-looking
statements," as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are not historical facts
but instead represent only our current beliefs regarding future events, many
of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of our
control. These statements can be identified by terminology such as "may,"
"will," "should," "could," "expects," "intends," "plans," "anticipates,"
"believes," "estimates," "potential" or "continue" or the negative of these
terms or other comparable terminology. MSLO's actual results may differ
materially from those projected in these statements, and factors that could
cause such differences include: adverse reactions to publicity relating to
Martha Stewart by consumers, advertisers and business partners; downturns in
national and/or local economies; shifts in our business strategies; a loss of
the services of Ms. Stewart; a loss of the services of other key personnel; a
softening of the domestic advertising market; changes in consumer reading,
purchasing and/or television viewing patterns; unanticipated increases in
paper, postage or printing costs; operational or financial problems at any of
our contractual business partners; the receptivity of consumers to our new
product introductions; and changes in government regulations affecting MSLO's
industries. Certain of these and other factors are discussed in more detail in
MSLO's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, especially under the heading "Risk Factors", which may be accessed
through the SEC's World Wide Web site at http://www.sec.gov. MSLO is under no
obligation to update any forward- looking statements after the date of this
release.
SOURCE Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc.
CONTACT: Elizabeth Estroff, Corporate Communications, Martha Stewart
Living Omnimedia, +1-212-827-8281, eestroff@marthastewart.com/
Web site: http://www.marthastewart.com /
(MSO)