Daily Front Row

2012 December 19

Time Inc. Promotes Martha Nelson to EIC

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Martha Nelson
JIMI CELESTE/patrickmcmullan.com View Gallery

(NEW YORK) Time Inc.'s Martha Nelson will replace John Huey as the company's new EIC; she is the first woman to hold the publishing powerhouse's tony title. Nelson has worked for Time Inc. for 20 years, first as editor of the People Group, then as founding editor of InStyle. Most recently, Nelson has served as editorial director since 2010, overseeing content for all 17 glossies within the Style and Entertainment Group under the Time umbrella.

In her new role, she will add Time and Fortune to her roster, as she will oversee all of Time Inc.'s titles. Nelson's first order of business? Preserving quality across the board and growing the Time Inc. presence in the digital sphere. This new appointment marks the seventh person to hold the illustrious gig in Time's 90-year history. But Nelson has her job cut out for her—the publishing powerhouse reported a 6 percent loss in revenue last quarter, which was followed by whispers of layoffs next month. Also of note: Nelson is luring Time Inc. alum Dan Okrent out of retirement to act as corporate editor, on an interim basis.

Huey spent 22 years at chez Time before announcing plans earlier this year to retire by the end of 2012; his next move is a fellowship at Harvard's Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics, and Public Policy. Nelson will assume the top editorial position at the company beginning in January.