• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, November 3, 2015

After more than two decades in the top spot, Arthur Sulzberger Jr. is contemplating his eventual retirement as publisher of The New York Times.

While he has no immediate plans to step down, the company will begin grooming a successor with the appointment of a deputy publisher sometime in the next two years, according to the newspaper, which reported Sulzberger’s statements at a “state of the union” type address on Monday.

The NYT quoted Sulzberger as saying: “I’ve been in my role as publisher for more than 20 years, and I’ve hit my mid-60s, so it should come as no surprise that the task of choosing my successor has begun. Within two years we intend to name a deputy publisher.”

Sulzberger said that a committee drawn from the corporate board, senior management and Ochs-Sulzberger family trustees would participate in succession planning, including vetting candidates for the deputy publisher position, a proving ground for the planned successor.

Sulzberger noted that six members of the Ochs-Sulzberger family are currently working at the NYT. Although he didn’t identify any candidates by names, New York magazine previously pointed to three likely candidates, all from within the family: Sulzberger’s own son, Arthur Gregg Sulzberger, an associate editor who previously served as senior editor for strategy; David Perpich, an associate publisher; and Sam Solnick, senior vice president for product.

Arthur Gregg Sulzberger emerged as a prominent voice within the company last year with the release of a lengthy strategy memo drafted under his leadership, which criticized many out-of-date practices and urged more experimentation and faster implementation of various digital media strategies.

Whoever the next publisher is, he or she has their work cut out for them.

In a memo to staff last month, NYTCO CEO Mark Thompson and NYT executive editor Dean Baquet said the newspaper plans to double its digital revenues from $400 million this year to $800 million by 2020. The strategy centers on mobile distribution, selling more digital subscriptions, and above all cultivating a core audience of loyal, deeply engaged readers willing to pay for extras, like events and branded services.

However, one thing is unlikely to change: the company’s dual-class share structure. It preserves the Ochs-Sulzbergers’ control of the publicly traded company. Family members own special Class B shares that allow them to elect 70% of the board of directors, with the other 30% elected by the owners of public Class A shares.