Michael Sullivan is President and Chief Executive Officer of Comag Marketing Group (CMG) with ultimate responsibility for the effective distribution of some 25% of the retail magazine market in North America. He was entrusted with many of publishing’s most storied brands when he was selected as the first CEO of the joint venture formed by Condé Nast Publications and Hearst Magazines in April 2000.Since then, he has focused the company’s strategic direction more narrowly in the sales and marketing of leading magazines. Toward that end, he has led CMG on an aggressive program of improved marketing capabilities, systems and business practices modernization, and new client acquisition. At the same time, he has taken a leadership role in representing the publishing industry to the retail community in an effort to maintain the category’s traditionally strong presence across many retail classes of trade.
In recent years, Sullivan has served on the Board of Directors for the 25 Year Club, the GMDC Merchandise Advisory Board, the Board of Directors for the International Periodical Distributors Association (IPDA), and the Magazine Retail Advisory Council (MRAC), which is a working group of the Magazine Publishers of America (MPA). He has been active in customer and industry relations throughout his career, speaking frequently on behalf of the magazine industry.
Before being tapped to head CMG, Sullivan was Executive Vice President of Hearst Distribution Group, Inc. (HDG). Since entering the periodical industry in 1981, he has held senior executive positions with The News Group, Murdoch Magazines, TV Guide and Globe Marketing Services. Sullivan is a graduate of the University of Florida, Gainesville. He lives in eastern Pennsylvania and works primarily from CMG’s Princeton, NJ, headquarters.