• by Sara Guaglione , December 2, 2020

Meredith Corp. has named Catherine Levene president of its National Media Group (NMG), which houses the company’s magazine brands. She was previously Chief Digital Officer.

Levene is Meredith's first female corporate officer, according to Chairman and CEO Tom Harty.

She succeeds Jon Werther, who left the company last June.

Meredith's National Media Group brands include People, Better Homes & Gardens, Allrecipes, Southern Living and Real Simple. The company says the group reaches nearly 95% of all U.S. women, and has 36 million subscribers.

In her new role, Levene will oversee all NMG activities, including its digital, magazine (led by Doug Olson) and consumer products (led by Tom Witschi) businesses. 

Levene joined Meredith in January 2019 as Corporate Chief Strategy Officer.

"Catherine's strategic and innovative approach has been instrumental in growing our digital business," Harty stated. 

Under her leadership this year, digital advertising revenues grew to 38% of NMG’s total advertising revenue. Total sessions for Meredith's NMG sites increased 16%, driven by strong performances from entertainment and food sites like People.com and Allrecipes.com. 

Meredith published 30% more videos and increased video views more than 50% across its owned-and-operated properties in 2020.

The company launched the Meredith Data Studio in August.

Two new brands were created: Daily Paws for pet owners and Millie, a female-focused financial brand.