TYSONS, Va.—Tegna Inc. has announced that it has appointed two key new executives for its digital operations. Melissa Zimyeski has been named vice president of product and Mat Yurow has been hired as vice president of growth reporting to chief experience officer Dhanusha Sivajee.
Tegna reported that Zimyeski is a proven digital and consumer product executive, who has leveraged customer and data-driven insights to build game-changing products across diverse industries from telecommunications to retail.
She will lead the product management and design of Tegna’s consumer digital products, including the 50+ streaming apps, mobile apps and websites across the company’s portfolio of local media brands. She will be at the forefront of the company’s digital transformation focused on building a sustainable future for local news, Tegna said.
Yurow will lead audience and revenue growth across the company’s digital products. With deep expertise, including at The New York Times where he served in leadership roles across audience development, product strategy and commerce, and at Tripadvisor where he led the strategy for multiple direct-to-consumer products, he will play a key role in expanding Tegna’s digital footprint.
“With a wealth of experience building delightful, user-centric products, Melissa is uniquely positioned to elevate our digital product strategy,” said Dhanusha Sivajee. “In tandem, Mat is uniquely positioned to help us build and scale a growth marketing team. They will both play an integral role in delivering exceptional experiences to our local community members around the country.”
Zimyeski joins Tegna from the Mayo Clinic, the #1 health system in the country, where she was senior vice president and chair of product and experience. At Mayo Clinic, Zimyeski accelerated a strategy to transform Mayo into a leading digitally enabled healthcare experience.
Prior to Mayo Clinic, Zimyeski was head of consumer experience at Polestar where she led the launch of the new premium electric vehicle business and brand in North America. Zimyeski has also held senior level roles at AKQA and Droga5, where she oversaw product development, analytics, and digital transformation for businesses across multiple categories. Zimyeski began her career at NBC Universal in the Local Media division.
She received a Bachelor of Arts in Art History from Columbia University. She serves on the Board of Directors for Connecting Mothers Initiative and is a senior advisor for technology startup Blue Clay Health.
Yurow brings extensive experience in driving new consumer revenue growth. He joins Tegna from Thrasio, where he built a successful growth marketing organization, integrating publisher and influencer partnerships with strategic M&A of media companies.
Prior to Thrasio, Yurow served as senior director of consumer revenue at Tripadvisor, where he launched multiple consumer revenue products. He also played a pivotal role at The New York Times, leading digital transformation initiatives across subscription marketing, product strategy, and affiliate commerce.
Yurow began his career at AOL, The Huffington Post, and Bloomberg News, specializing in audience development and engagement. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Media Studies from Emory University.
