• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, June 12, 2008

The New York Times Company has finally found the right person to head its About Group in Cella Irvine, former chief administrative officer at Digitas.

Martin Nisenholtz, the Times Company's SVP of digital operations, and Ron McCoy, chief digital architect, have overseen About since its chief, Scott Meyer, departed in February. They will continue to do so until Irvine takes the helm on July 28. Irvine will report directly to Nisenholtz.

As chief administrative officer of Digitas from 2005 to 2007, Irvine was responsible for a range of functions, including finance, information technology, mergers and acquisitions, human resources, legal, communications and diversity.

That experience, along with 20 years in the publishing industry, Irvine believes, makes her uniquely qualified for her new role as CEO of About Group.

"I spent the first 20 years of my career in publishing before joining Digitas at the leading edge of advertising, so About's model is very familiar to me," Irvine said.

"My plan is to get to know the business better, and get to know the About team and the guides, so we can chart the future of the company together," she said. "There are no plans in the works for any major changes at the company."

Prior to Digitas, Irvine spent time at Hearst, where she was responsible for general management of all aspects of Hearst New Media Publishing, and Microsoft Corp., where she served as general manager of the now-deceased city guide New York Sidewalk.

The About division recorded $102.7 million in revenue last year--up 28% from 2006--and $34.7 million in operating profit, up 12.6%. About.com, which generates revenue from ads, is the largest part of the division.

About.com's content is generated by its network of guides who serve up advice on a vast array of topics. The About Group also includes Calorie-Count.com, ConsumerSearch.com and UCompareHealthCare.com.

Before announcing his departure in February, Meyer had run the About Group since May 2005. No news has yet been announced on Meyer's future career plans.