• by Tony Silber , January 25, 2022

Ziff Media Group on Monday announced new editors in chief at its two flagship brands, PCMag and Mashable.

Wendy Sheehan Donnell is promoted to editor-in-chief of PCMag, which delivers lab-tested independent reviews of the latest tech products and services. Also, Alesha Williams Boyd was hired as top editor of Mashable, which focuses on digital culture, tech and entertainment.

Both editorial leaders will report to Ronak Patel, senior vice president of publishing for Ziff Media Group.

Donnell will focus on forging the editorial vision and leading the team as it seeks to continue PCMag’s growth trajectory. She has held several management positions at PCMag since joining the publication in 2007. Most recently, she acted as deputy editor, steering coverage while managing the day-to-day operations and editorial staff.

In that role, she was instrumental in PCMag’s 2020 re-platforming and site redesign. Before that, was executive editor overseeing product coverage, PC Labs testing, and leading the reviews team, which tests more than 2,000 technology products per year.

“Wendy’s operational excellence, 23 years of editorial and leadership experience, and her data-driven approach give me great confidence that she will take PCMag to new heights,” Patel said.

Donnell is be the first female editor-in-chief of PCMag.

"In 2022, PCMag celebrates 40 years of delivering industry-leading technology service journalism,” se said. “I’m more excited than ever to become editor-in-chief and lead the most talented and passionate team in the reviews business as we grow our deep product testing, expert buying advice, and extensive how-to and news coverage.”

Before joining PCMag, Donnell was managing editor of Computer Shopper.

At Mashable, Williams Boyd will oversee that brand’s editorial vision and lead its staff to drive inspired storytelling, innovation and growth. She starts January 31. She previously served as senior digital director for the USA Today Network, leading a team that supported over 100 newsrooms.

“Alesha is a champion for building audience relationships with impactful storytelling and digital engagement that resonates,” Patel said. “I’m excited for what Alesha and the team can accomplish together to diversify the tech narrative and make it more ubiquitous and accessible.”

This is the first time a woman of color will hold the top job at Mashable, which reaches 30 million monthly average users onsite and across platforms.

“The Mashable brand has meant so much in digital culture through the years,” Williams Boyd said. “It’s all about what delights and surprises, hits close to home, or helps us understand the digital world around us and what’s next.”

Her honors as editor include two National Association of Black Journalists Salute to Excellence awards for enterprise reports exploring the root causes of academic performance issues, crime and other challenges facing local underserved communities.

Ziff Media Group’s portfolio of brands includes Mashable, PCMag, Offers.com, RetailMeNot, BlackFriday.com, BestBlackFriday.com, ExtremeTech, AskMen and TechBargains. It’s a business unit of Ziff Davis, Inc., a publicly traded company listed on Nasdaq as ZD.