Who is Will Lewis? The Washington Post CEO resigns days after sweeping layoffs; Who will succeed him?

Just days after drastic job cuts, The Washington Post CEO and publisher, Will Lewis had resigned amid scrutiny, as announced by the paper. He has been replaced by Jeff D’Onofrio, who joined the Post as chief financial officer last year.  He will now take charge as CEO.

In an email to staff shared on social media by one of the newspaper’s reporters, Mr. Lewis said it was “the right time for me to step aside.” A statement from the Post said only that Mr. D’Onofrio was succeeding Mr. Lewis “effective immediately.”

Who is Will Lewis?

William John Lewis, 56, was born in North London, England. He pursued Bsc from University of Bristol, and later pursued PG Diploma from City University London.

Lewis has served as the publisher and chief executive officer of The Washington Post 2024 to 2026. He was formerly chief executive of Dow Jones & Company, and was publisher of the Wall Street Journal. He has previously worked with The Daily Telegraph.

As CEO of The Washington Post, Mr. Lewis’s management of the outlet was sharply criticised by subscribers and employees alike during his two-year tenure as he tried to reverse financial losses at the daily.

The Washington Post job cuts

As AFP reported, The Washington Post is struggling financially to survive, even though the newspaper owned by billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. The Post announced lay offs of hundreds of journalists, including most of its overseas, local and sports staff on Tuesday February 3. The New York Times reported that approximately 300 of its 800 journalists were laid off.