Press release -
Readly Expands Leadership Team in the U.S.
NEW YORK – July 30, 2014 – Readly has hired Michelle Garcia as Vice President of Marketing
and Blake Pollard as Vice President of Content in North America. In their new roles, Garcia and
Pollard will facilitate Readly’s expansion in the U.S. market.
Garcia has been working in the U.S. media industry for over ten years, primarily within Time Inc,
where she held various positions driving marketing strategy and growing strategic partnerships.
She was most recently Vice President of Consumer Marketing at Real Simple, Cooking Light and
Health.
Pollard has worked with top publishers over the last ten years to deploy successful digital
content initiatives, most recently leading LibreDigital’s digital periodical distribution program
with the likes of Google, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com.
“This team has a proven track record of successful marketing and digital content strategies
with some of the top publishers in the country, and I’m thrilled to have them on board Readly
International” says Per Hellberg, CEO, Readly International. “Their deep understanding of and
passion for the American consumer market is our biggest asset as we grow our relationships
with publishers and expand our offering for digital readers everywhere.”
Readly’s digital magazine reader has been available in the U.S. market since this winter and
currently offers more than 150 titles in the US and over 500 titles worldwide, a number that
is rapidly growing. Most recently, it added over 30 titles from India and the Philippines to its
catalog. The app is currently available in 49 countries and processes all local currencies.
The company has aggressive plans for the U.S. market. Led by Garcia and Pollard, Readly is in
the final contract phase with up to 15 publishers that would represent close to 150 new titles,
effectively doubling the number of U.S. publications offered to subscribers.
The new hires are part of Readly’s international expansion driven by Mats Rönne, who was
named global CMO in June. Rönne was formerly CMO at Skanska Nya Hem and global brand
manager at Electrolux and Ericsson. He’s currently responsible for the Readly global brand.
About the Readly app
Readly is a service
that lets customers have unlimited access to hundreds of national and
international magazines in one app. The service offers fast download and easy,
intuitive use so that the reader can read magazines online effortlessly. After
a free two-week trial period, subscribers pay € 9.99 per month (in US $ 9.99;
in UK £ 9.99) for unlimited use. This
price includes use of the service on up to five devices, allowing the service
to be shared among the whole family so that everyone can read their favourite
magazines online. Currently the service includes close to 600 titles, but the
number of titles and issues available increases continuously; you can find the
current selection at http://www.readly.com.
About Readly
Readly International AB, the company behind the Readly service, is a privately owned company headquartered in Sweden. Formed in 2012, Readly today has offices in Sweden, the UK, USA and Germany and a rapidly growing user base in more than 100 countries, making Readly the world’s leading digital platform for reading magazines online. For publishers, Readly represents both additional reader revenues and deep insights into reader behavior. The magazine version is available globally. In Sweden, Readly also offers a book version that lets readers experience the original print layout including images. This delivers an unrivalled digital reading experience for books where photos and illustrations are important, such as children’s books and cookbooks. Readly has also introduced a pilot version for newspapers.
