Sibley, who has served as the company’s Chief Sales Officer, will oversee revenue operations, including Forbes’ BrandVoice, Insights and ForbesLive platforms, as well as all direct sales, programmatic, paid social, brand strategy, integrated marketing, demand-gen, licensing and more.
An accomplished media and advertising executive, Sibley has a proven track record of leading and motivating high-performing sales teams, says Forbes. Sibley, in partnership with Mark Howard, established new revenue-generating strategies that helped propel Forbes to record two of its best years in 2018 and 2019.
“Jessica is a world-class executive with an entrepreneurial mindset who leads and inspires her team to deliver true ROI for our clients,” Federle said. “Under her watch, we’ve continued to refine and enhance our industry leading BrandVoice, Insights and ForbesLive platforms, while extending the global reach of key franchises like Under 30, ForbesWomen, Forbes 400 and more. As a result, she’s harnessed the full value of our platforms to deliver unrivaled and engaging experiences for our marketing partners and audiences alike.”
Federle also announced that Howard, who had held the position of CRO, is leaving the company to explore different opportunities. “The definition of a great leader is to build a strong bench and leave the company stronger than you found it – and that’s what Mark did here at Forbes,” Federle said. “We are grateful to Mark for his many contributions and unwavering dedication to our company.”
Sibley assumes the role of CRO after serving as the company’s Chief Sales Officer. Under her leadership, Forbes set back-to-back records in 2018 and 2019 for the number of premium custom content campaigns created for clients and also established a new benchmark for the number of ForbesLive and custom events held each year. In 2019 alone, Forbes produced more than 100 premium custom content features for marketing partners and introduced new products like Forbes Connoisseur for luxury, travel and spirits clients, says the company.
“We’re entering a new decade with the industry’s best team dedicated to inspiring new creative campaigns and forging stronger partnerships that will allow us to grow our revenue and expand our relationships with clients,” Sibley said. “We have a unique ability — unlike any other brand in the marketplace — to deeply engage diverse audiences and advance the purpose we share with clients of championing success for all.”
A veteran of the media industry, Sibley has held significant leadership positions at global media companies. Prior to joining Forbes, she worked for Condé Nast at The New Yorker. At Bloomberg Businessweek, Sibley served as SVP and Global Publisher, co-led the sale of the brand from McGraw Hill to Bloomberg and took on a new role directing global, integrated ad sales for the relaunched company. At The Wall Street Journal, she served as Vice President of multimedia sales.
Earlier in her career, Sibley spent eight years at Forbes as a Sales Director in the New York and in Washington, D.C. offices.
“Jessica’s work is at the heart of our ongoing revenue diversification strategies,” Federle said. “Her unmatched experience developing new business models across existing and emerging media platforms is pivotal as we continue to expand the Forbes brand worldwide.”
