Fortune Media, the esteemed 95-year-old business media brand, has appointed Anastasia Nyrkovskaya as its new Chief Executive Officer, marking a historic moment as she becomes the first woman to lead the company. Anastasia, who has held the positions of Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Financial Officer at Fortune over the past five years, brings with her a wealth of experience in investing, finance, and corporate development across traditional media and startup sectors.
Her appointment follows the announcement made last October by Alan Murray, the outgoing CEO of Fortune since 2018, regarding his plan to step down this April. Anastasia’s transition into the role has been a collaborative effort with Murray in recent months.
Anastasia’s journey with Fortune began in 2019 when she joined as one of the initial senior executives following the company’s transition into an independent media entity. Previously, Fortune had been a part of Meredith Corporation and, prior to that, a longstanding division of Time Inc., founded by Henry Luce in 1929.
Before her tenure at Fortune, Anastasia held senior finance and accounting roles at NBCUniversal, KPMG, and XpresSpa Group. Notably, at NBCUniversal, she was instrumental in corporate strategy and M&A activities, contributing to major acquisitions such as MSNBC.com, The Weather Channel, and the establishment of Hulu.
During her time at Fortune, Anastasia has played a pivotal role in steering the company’s digital transformation and diversification of its business model beyond traditional magazine publishing. She has also been integral to the global expansion of the Fortune brand and operations.
Under her leadership as Chief Financial Officer, Fortune achieved three consecutive years of profitability through 2023. Additionally, as Chief Strategy Officer, she spearheaded the introduction of new products and facilitated expansions of lists and conferences across Europe and Asia.
Fortune’s expansion in Asia has been particularly noteworthy, with recent events including the Fortune Innovation Forum in Hong Kong and the upcoming launch of the Fortune Southeast Asia 500 List, ranking the largest companies in the region.
Expressing her vision for Fortune’s future, Anastasia emphasized her belief in the brand’s journalism and its impact on the business community. She commended the dedication of Fortune’s editorial team and expressed her commitment to driving further growth and innovation as the company expands globally.
Outgoing CEO Alan Murray praised Anastasia’s leadership, highlighting her instrumental role in Fortune’s transformation into a profitable global media company. He expressed confidence in her ability to lead Fortune into its next chapter.
In her new role, Anastasia looks forward to collaborating closely with the editorial team, led by Editor in Chief Alyson Shontell, to continue Fortune’s legacy of delivering impactful journalism and original enterprise reporting. Shontell echoed Murray’s sentiments, affirming Anastasia’s commitment to supporting the newsroom’s independence and driving growth in journalism and business worldwide.