We’re asking some of our industry’s leading figures to nominate their digital hero and to explain what’s so special about them.
Jane Wolfson heads up agency and direct sales at Hearst, joining the publisher in 2015 from media agency Initiative. Jane recently took part in NDA’s Publishing Roundtable.
Who is your digital hero?
Although I know this is going to sound massively contrived, it genuinely is Betsy Fast, Chief Content Development Officer at Hearst UK.
What has she done to win hero status in your eyes?
Betsy joined in 2017, and between then and now she has done an amazing job. She absolutely knows what is required to drive the brands forward and always does it with a smile on her face. She is wonderful to spend time with and is so knowledgeable that you always leave the room learning something new.
She makes the ever-changing world of digital content consumption seem straightforward and easily digestible, when seemingly, so many want to make it sound more complicated.
How has her heroism helped drive digital?
Complete focus and understanding of what consumers want has meant that she’s changed the way in which we talk to our readers online in order to drive significant audience growth results for Hearst brands.
She is always thinking about the future, and what our reader will want to consume whilst managing a team of exceptional editors. She’s also an incredibly positive person, making her a joy to work with.
What the biggest challenges in digital we need another hero to solve?
How to be in two places at once. Whilst digital transformation is so exciting and brings so much opportunity, it does mean that being always on and able to react to things immediately means ever more time pressure …I’m sure with VR on the horizon, it’s probably not that far away!
What is your most heroic personal achievement so far in digital?
I have three kids aged 7,12 & 14. Trying to maintain a balance between work and home is something that — whilst maybe not superhero levels of achievement — is something that’s quite heroic to me!
