Celine Perrot-Johnson has been named executive vp of operations and finance at Penske Media Corp., parent company of WWD.

On this newly created role, Perrot-Johnson will work closely with operating executives Paul Rainey and Tom Finn, for the corporate, which has significantly expanded its reach over the past three years to span print and digital media, live events, festivals and real estate. She’s going to oversee all business operations for PMC’s fashion, luxury, art and ladies’s-interest brands, including Fairchild Media Group, working closely with the present editorial and business leadership teams. She’s going to report back to George Grobar, PMC’s chief operating officer. She might be based in Recent York. 

Prior to joining PMC, Perrot-Johnson was chief financial officer of Complex Networks, where she led the corporate through a financial transformation and guided its acquisition by Buzzfeed. Prior to that, she was the top of the Paramount Global Corporate finance planning and evaluation team and was accountable for overseeing the company’s consolidated forecast, communicating financial results to the board of directors and managing its incentive plan. 

“We’re so proud so as to add Celine to our team during this time of growth at PMC,” said Jay Penske, chief executive officer, chairman and founding father of PMC. “Celine brings incredible business acumen, strong operational leadership and invaluable insights to this role and I actually have little doubt she might be instrumental in shaping our strategy and success as we set the stage for the subsequent 20 years of the corporate.” 

Grobar added: “Celine is a strategic leader with extensive experience in the media and entertainment space. She brings a mix of deep financial and operational experience that has made her a trusted partner to executive teams, investment partners, boards and company advisers globally throughout her profession. We’re excited to be adding one other proven leader to our team in Recent York City and look ahead to the continuing evolution of the PMC brands under her leadership.”  

Perrot-Johnson said she was desperate to bring her “financial, strategic and operational expertise to a world leader within the media industry which has assembled and grown a novel portfolio of iconic brands. I look ahead to collaborating with PMC’s visionary leaders and content creators to support the organization’s powerful cultural voice and expanding reach.” 

Along with WWD and its sister brands at Fairchild Media Group — Footwear News, Sourcing Journal and Beauty Inc — PMC also counts Variety, Rolling Stone, The Hollywood Reporter, Billboard, Dick Clark Productions, She Media, Robb Report, Deadline, Sportico, BGR, ARTnews, Vibe, IndieWire, Dirt, Artforum, Gold Derby, Spy.com and Luminate, an information and analytics company, in its portfolio.