AOL board member Susan Lyne has been hired as the new CEO of AOL’s Brand Group. She will be leaving her position on the board as part of the move.

Susan LyneAOL’s Brand Group includes properties such as TechCrunch, Engadget, AOL.com, Moviefone, and The Huffington Post.

Lyne was previously CEO of online shopping site Gilt Groupe but stepped down last year, transitioning to Vice Chairman. She is expected to continue in that role.

Prior to joining Gilt, she was President and CEO of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and President of ABC Entertainment.

According to Business Insider, “Lyne’s appointment is part of AOL’s continued efforts to streamline its operations and give its business unit leaders more autonomy and accountability.”

Following the announcement yesterday, Lyne sent out a memo to AOL staff outlining her plans, which include focusing on customer experience, thinking more like entertainment programmers, and leveraging the mobile market.


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Posted by: Gina Barrett