30 January 2025
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONTAINS INSIDE INFORMATION FOR THE PURPOSES
OF
ARTICLE 7 OF THE UK VERSION OF REGULATION (EU) NO. 596/2014 ON
MARKET
ABUSE ("UK MAR"), AS IT FORMS PART OF UK DOMESTIC LAW BY
VIRTUE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION (WITHDRAWAL) ACT
2018
Future plc
Appointment of Kevin Li Ying
as Chief Executive Officer
Future plc (LSE: FUTR; "Future" or
"the Group"), the global platform for specialist media, today
announces the appointment of Kevin Li Ying as Chief Executive
Officer. The appointment, which follows a thorough search process,
will take effect from 31 March 2025 when Kevin will join the Board
of Future.
Kevin joined Future over 20 years ago
and has been a key contributor to the successful transformation of
the company from a traditional print publisher into a leading
global digital media platform of today. Kevin is currently EVP of
B2C, the Group's largest division. In this role he has had full
responsibility for all B2C brands, editorial and revenue generation
consisting of commercial advertising, ecommerce, subscriptions and
newstrade revenue whilst ensuring technology and data are central
to the B2C offer.
Prior to this, Kevin was Chief
Technology Officer, a position he held for 8 years. In this role,
and his earlier role as Chief Technical Architect, Kevin led the
development of the Group's proprietary technology and
infrastructure, including the creation of its eCommerce
technology.
Kevin is a non-executive director of
W.A.G payment solutions plc, the FTSE 250 technology company, a
position he has held since March 2024.
Current CEO Jon Steinberg will step
down from the Board on 30 March 2025 and will act as Senior Advisor
until 30 June 2025 to ensure a smooth transition with
Kevin.
Richard Huntingford, Chair, said: "I am delighted to announce the appointment of Kevin as CEO
following a comprehensive search process. Kevin is a strong
visionary leader with an unmatched knowledge of the Group, from its
tech stack to its revenue streams. In his current role as EVP of
B2C, the Group's largest division, he has been successfully
delivering on the execution of the Growth Acceleration Strategy and
is therefore perfectly placed to lead the next phase of Future's
growth.
I also want to thank Jon for his
contribution to the Group during his tenure and to wish him well
for the future."
Kevin Li Ying, incoming Chief Executive, said:
"It is a great honour and a true privilege to have
been asked to lead Future, a company that I love and I am proud to
have helped to transform over the last 20 years. I look forward to
continue to execute on the strategy, and am excited about our
growth opportunities, building on our track record of innovation
and producing excellent content and products to attract valuable
audiences through a platform-agnostic approach. I also want to
thank Jon for his leadership and counsel during his time with the
Group."
The Group will release a trading
statement on 5 February, ahead of its AGM.
There are no other details to be
disclosed in accordance with paragraph 6.4.8R of the Listing Rules.
The person responsible for releasing this announcement is David
Bateson, Company Secretary.
Enquiries
Future plc
Richard Huntingford,
Chair
Marion Le Bot, Head of Investor
Relations
+44(0)7775 641509
Media
Headland
+44 (0) 20 3805 4822
Stephen Malthouse, Rob Walker,
Charlie Twigg
future@headlandconsultancy.com
Legal Entity Identifier (LEI):
213800K2581YRLEXV353
About Future
We are the platform for creating and
distributing trusted, specialist content, to build engaged and
valuable global communities. We operate c.200 brands in diversified
content verticals, with multiple market leading positions and three
core monetisation frameworks: advertising, eCommerce affiliate and
direct consumer monetisation (subscriptions and newstrade magazine
sale). Our content is published and distributed through a range of
formats including websites, email newsletters, videos, magazines
and live events. The successful execution of our strategy is
focused on three pillars: grow engaged audience, diversify and grow
revenue per user and optimise the portfolio.
