Ryan O’Hara Named CEO
New York, NY (December 17, 2014) – News Corp announced today that Ryan O’Hara will become Chief Executive Officer of Move, Inc. (“Move”), effective January 5, 2015.
Mr. O’Hara will replace CEO Steven Berkowitz, who has led the company since January 2009. News Corp acquired Move, a leading provider of online real estate services, including realtor.com®, last month.
“We are excited to have secured Ryan O’Hara to take the helm at Move, given his record of transforming businesses in the digital age and his clear determination to accelerate the growth of the company. We are also extremely grateful to Steve Berkowitz for his years of astute and principled leadership, during which period he secured greater operating flexibility for the business and put the company on a solid growth trajectory,” said Robert Thomson, Chief Executive of News Corp.
“Ryan’s experience in the digital media and entertainment industry and his deft management skills will be invaluable assets as we pursue the rapid expansion of Move in this era of exponential change. We believe he has the ability to leverage the relationship with our existing US media properties to the benefit of all and to make the most of the significant expertise at REA, our majority-owned, notably successful and still growing digital property site in Australia.”
“Ryan will begin at Move in the first week of January, when we will also be rolling out a broad-based marketing campaign across The Wall Street Journal Digital Network to drive quality traffic to realtor.com®,” said Mr. Thomson. “He also looks forward to working closely with the National Association of Realtors®, a key and crucial partner of Move, knowing that Realtors® are at the heart of American real estate transactions.”
Mr. O’Hara most recently served as a President at the Madison Square Garden Company, leading the MSG Media, technology and marketing partnership divisions. He previously was President and CEO of The Topps Company, a leading entertainment trading card and consumer products business. During his time at Topps, Mr. O’Hara grew market share, formed key partnerships with major sports leagues and player associations, and expanded the business digitally and globally.
Before Topps, Mr. O’Hara was with several News Corporation businesses, including Gemstar TV Guide International/TV Guide Company from 2002 to 2010, the last five years as President of the TV Guide network and several digital businesses. He led the TV Guide network’s transformation from a utility guide to a full-screen entertainment destination and significantly increased its distribution. Between 1999 and 2002, he worked at Fox Cable Networks in Los Angeles and BSkyB in London.
Mr. O’Hara holds a B.A. in Economics from Stanford University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
“I’m grateful for this exciting opportunity to join the team at Move and help make realtor.com® the best in the business,” said Mr. O’Hara. “The digital real estate marketplace is poised for rapid expansion as more people go online to buy, sell and rent property in America, and as more businesses advertise on digital real estate platforms to reach those homeowners. I believe Realtor.com® is ready to capitalize on this technological revolution.”
“Love of real estate runs in my family, with my grandfather and uncle having long, successful careers as real estate brokers, and a cousin is currently a Realtor® and member of the National Association of Realtors®. And while in college, I gained a California real estate salesperson license,” said Mr. O’Hara. “I’m thrilled to have a chance to run this exciting digital real estate business, particularly given its deep connection to Realtors® around the country.”
“I believe Move is well-positioned for the future, with many good people whom I’ve been honored to work with these past six years. I’m grateful for all we accomplished together and I leave secure in the knowledge that great things are in store for them and Move,” said Mr. Berkowitz.
Through realtor.com® and its mobile applications, Move displays more than 98% of all for-sale properties listed in the US. With the freshest, most accurate listing of homes in the market, the Move network of websites reaches more than 30 million people per month.
REA Group Limited, in which News Corp owns a 61.6% interest, has a 20% stake in Move. REA is the operator of the leading Australian residential property website, realestate.com.au.
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About News Corp
News Corp (NASDAQ: NWS, NWSA; ASX: NWS, NWSLV) is a global, diversified media and information services company focused on creating and distributing authoritative and engaging content to consumers throughout the world. The company comprises businesses across a range of media, including: news and information services, book publishing, cable network programming in Australia, digital real estate services, digital education, and pay-TV distribution in Australia. Headquartered in New York, the activities of News Corp are conducted primarily in the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom. More information:http://www.newscorp.com.
About Move, Inc. and realtor.com®
Move, Inc. is a leading provider of online real estate services. Move operates the realtor.com® website and mobile experiences, which connect people to the most important and accurate information they need to find their perfect home and to the REALTORS® whose expertise guides consumers through buying and selling. As the official website of the National Association of REALTORS®, realtor.com® empowers consumers to make smart home buying, selling and renting decisions by leveraging its direct, real-time connections with more than 800 multiple listing services (MLS) via all types of computers, tablets and smartphones. In addition to the industry’s most comprehensive and accurate information, Move’s network of websites provides consumers a wealth of innovative tools, including Doorsteps®, Moving.com™, SeniorHousingNetSM and others. Move supports real estate agents and brokerages by providing many services to grow their businesses, including ListHub™, the nation’s leading listing syndicator and centralized intelligence platform for the real estate industry; TigerLead®; Top Producer® Systems; and FiveStreetSM; as well as many free services. Move is based in the heart of Silicon Valley – in San Jose, Calif.
Forward-Looking Statements
This document contains certain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on management’s views and assumptions regarding future events and business performance as of the time the statements are made. Actual results may differ materially from these expectations due to changes in global economic, business, competitive market and regulatory and other factors. More detailed information about these and other factors that could affect future results is contained in News Corp’s and Move’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The “forward-looking statements” included in this document are made only as of the date of this document and we do not have any obligation to publicly update any “forward-looking statements” to reflect subsequent events or circumstances, except as required by law.
Contacts:
Jim Kennedy, Chief Communications Officer, News Corp
jkennedy@newscorp.com, @jimkennedy250
212-416-4064
Mike Florin, SVP, Head of Investor Relations, News Corp
mflorin@newscorp.com
212-416-3363
