Ross Levinsohn – Executive VP of the Americas, Interim CEO, and Head of the Global Media at Yahoo
Ross Levinsohn is AOL’s current Executive Vice President of the Americas, Interim CEO, and Head of Global Media for Yahoo. Before joining Yahoo, he spent 11 years as a media investment banker, working on transactions, including Time Warner’s acquisition of America Online. He is the former publisher of Adweek, executive editor of The Hollywood Reporter, and CEO of Buzzmedia. Levinsohn began his career as a reporter at the New York Daily News. He has written for TIME under the pseudonym “John Soreth” and has also written for wired magazine as an Emerging Technology Analyst and as a columnist for Business 2.0 and Forbes.
- Early Life
Ross Levinsohn was born in Los Angeles, California, on September 17, 1954.
After he graduated from high school in 1972, he attended the University of California (UC), Berkeley, where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in History in 1976. Levinsohn then earned his J.D. /M.B.A. He received his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1980. was admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of California in 1980, the United States Supreme Court in 1981, and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California on July 17, 1981 (certificate number 89211706).
- Career
Levinsohn began his career as a New York Daily News reporter and later served as press secretary to Elizabeth Holtzman, a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York. In 1988 Levinsohn became Deputy Press Secretary and then Press Secretary for Michael Dukakis’ presidential campaign. Newsweek’s editors then selected him to receive an International Reporting Fellowship at Oxford University in 1989-1990, where he studied Modern European History. The Sports Illustrated CEO was so impressed with his research that he gave him the nickname “Ross from Oxford.”
- Achievements
Levinsohn’s tenure at General Electric included the acquisition of NBC, Sunbeam, and Gibson guitars. At Newsweek, he initiated and led the development of its first-ever Internet site; introduced Newsweek’s award-winning digital magazine WEEKLY STANDARD; installed the first web-enabled computer in Newsweek’s newsroom (Newsweek’s Digital Press Center); revamped the business office to focus on new advertising products; streamlined Newsweek.
Sports Illustrated CEO has been named CEO of the Year by Mediapost, Adweek, and Electronic Media magazines.
To be successful, you must be prepared to deal with change. Companies have to make decisions quicker than ever in this fast-paced media business. The internet is one of the most exciting things around today. It’s going to change a lot of things. I like the fact that the internet is still new. There are a few rules…We need to get online as soon as possible because we cannot miss this opportunity.