Goli Sheikholeslami, the head of New York Public Radio, will become Politico’s new chief executive, Axel Springer announced on Monday.
Her appointment is the first big move by Axel Springer, the German publishing giant, since it bought Politico Media Group last year for more than $1 billion. As part of its ambition to become a force in the American news media, the company acquired Business Insider in 2015 and a controlling stake in the newsletter Morning Brew in 2020.
Jan Bayer, Axel Springer’s president of news media, said that Ms. Sheikholeslami would “further our vision to build the global news and information leader on politics, policy and regulation in power centers across the world.”
Politico Media Group includes Politico, which has a newsroom of nearly 400 journalists, and its tech news counterpart, Protocol.
“What I admire most about Politico is the tenacity that underpins the organization’s fearless, fact-based journalism and its successful business model,” Ms. Sheikholeslami said in a statement.
Ms. Sheikholeslami will start in her new role next month. She succeeds Patrick Steel, who stepped down as chief executive last year. She is making the move after two years as the chief executive of New York Public Radio, which owns WNYC, WQXR and Gothamist. It was a turbulent period for WNYC, which has had significant staff turnover and bullying complaints.
In an email to staff, the New York Public Radio board chair, Timothy Wilkins, said that Ms. Sheikholeslami had invested significantly in diversity, equity and inclusion efforts at the organization while also strengthening its financial position and increasing the size of the newsroom.
“And she did all this while leading through a pandemic — working with all of you to keep our audiences informed, connected and inspired during one of the most challenging times for our organization and our city and region,” Mr. Wilkins wrote.
Mr. Wilkins said the board would lead a national search for a new leader.
