Nancy Dubuc Tapped As Vice CEO To Control Company's Destiny

Former A+E Networks CEO Nancy Dubuc has been named Chief Executive of Vice Media, replacing Shane Smith.

Smith, who has held the position of CEO since since founding the company as a punk culture magazine in Montreal in 1994,will shift to a new role as executive chairman, “where I can concentrate on the only things that I am good at: content and deals” he stated.

“As we go forward, Vice needs a best-in-class management team to harness all of this growth and control our own destiny, whether it be staying independent, strategically partnering with someone or going public,” Smith added.

While Vice has “a strong foundation for the future,” the company realized it needs “help for the next phase of our growth.”

“In looking for a professional CEO, we are in need of one who can master; the content world, the digital world, the business world, and who is at the same time an operator extraordinaire. These people are obviously few and far between,” he wrote.

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A+E Networks is a partner with Vice Media on its cable channel, Viceland. Dubuc has fostered a relationship with Smith since its launch in early 2016. Dubuc is a member of Vice’s board.

“We are a modern-day Bonnie and Clyde, and we are going to take all your money,” Smith stated, in his typical candid fashion.

Valued at $5.7 billion and operating in more than 30 countries, Vice Media is one of the largest digital news and lifestyle publishers for millennials. It has landed a total of $1.4 billion in funding from major companies like Disney, 21st Century Fox, TPG, WPP and Raine Group.

But the rising star company has recently been embroiled in allegations of workplace misbehavior, sexual misconduct and fostering a toxic “boys club” culture. A New York Times piece about Vice Media resulted in the firing of Chief Digital Officer Mike Germano, and a Daily Beast article led to the exit of Vice Media documentary films chief Jason Mojica in November.

Vice has since committed to achieving a 50-50 ratio of male and female employees by 2020.

It is likely no accident that Vice Media chose a woman to be the face of the company and lead its next chapter.

Vice Media also fell short of its 2017 revenue targets by about $100 million, according to The Wall Street Journal,mostly due to disappointing numbers from Viceland. 
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