NEW YORK–Susan Lyne has stepped down as president and chief executive officer at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, the company announced today.
As a result, Robin Marino, president of merchandising, and Wenda Harris Millard, president of media, have been named to the positions of co-chief executive officers, reporting to Charles Koppelman, chairman of the board.
Lyne, who has been in this role for four years, will stay on as an adviser for a period of time to assure a smooth transition and will remain a director during that time.
“Susan has made tremendous contributions to MSLO during a critical period for us,” Koppelman said. “We are now profitable, our brand has never been stronger and the many partnerships we have forged in recent years leave us well-positioned for growth.”
Under Marino and Millard’s leadership, “We will continue expanding our media and merchandising businesses into new markets in and outside the U.S. and will focus on creating value for shareholders,” Koppelman added.
With almost 30 years of experience in the department store, wholesale and specialty retail segments of the merchandising business, Marino joined the company in 2005 from Kate Spade, where she was president and chief operations officer. She oversees MSLO’s merchandising businesses, which has seen the launch of its Macy’s program last fall, as well as the purchase of the Emeril Lagasse franchise earlier this year, among other partnerships.
“We have transformed our merchandising business from a handful of licensing arrangements to a diversified portfolio of more than 15 dynamic partnerships,” Marino said. “Our team is acutely focused on forging new relationships while building upon our existing home decorating and lifestyle programs to grow our business.”
Millard joined the company last year from Yahoo, where she was chief sales officer since 2001.