Tom Cross Promoted to Executive Vice President and Deputy Group Head, Transportation, Hearst Business Media

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - January 14, 2016) - Hearst today announced the promotion of Tom Cross to executive vice president and deputy group head, Transportation, Hearst Business Media. He retains the title of president of Black Book. The promotion is effective immediately and was made by Steven R. Swartz, president and CEO of Hearst, and Hearst Business Media President Richard P. Malloch. Cross will continue to report to Malloch.

Hearst Business Media has global holdings in the finance, healthcare and transportation industries. Cross will oversee the transportation portfolio, which includes MOTOR Information Systems, Black Book and Canadian Black Book.

Hearst Transportation delivers more than 8 billion vehicle valuations annually that are used by dealers and financial institutions throughout the United States and Canada for trade-ins, wholesale and financing transactions. Its solutions guide automotive technicians and insurance companies with respect to the repair steps, parts needed and estimated labor times for mechanical repairs of automobiles and heavy trucks as well as collision repairs of automobiles. Hearst Transportation's data is used to generate more than 12 million collision repair estimates annually in more than 260,000 mechanical repair facilities.

"Tom is the ideal person to lead our transportation group as he is an exceptional leader with rich industry experience and an impressive record of driving growth," Malloch said. "Our transportation companies are leaders in the field and we are committed to building on this success and expanding the group through organic growth, new product development and acquisitions. I am confident that with Tom at the helm we will extend our reach and influence, continue to develop breakthrough capabilities and add even more value to our customers."

Cross has held a variety of leadership positions across Hearst's transportation businesses for nearly two decades. He joined Black Book in 2003 as senior vice president and general manager and was named its president in 2007. Prior, he held executive positions at MOTOR Information Systems, which he joined in in 2000, after a long career at Ford Motor Company. At Ford, he held numerous management positions in sales, customer service, and marketing.

He received an MBA from the University of Chicago and a bachelor's from Wittenberg University. He was inducted into the National Independent Automobile Dealers Association (NIADA) Ring of Honor in 2013.

About Hearst Business Media

Hearst Business Media is a global technology leader delivering information, insights, analytics, and workflow solutions to meet worldwide needs in the finance, healthcare and transportation markets. Its holdings include renowned brands such as Fitch Group, one of the leading global ratings agencies; the Hearst Health network of market-leading healthcare companies First Databank, Zynx Health, MCG and Homecare Homebase, which provide care guidance to patients, hospitals, and insurers; and MOTOR Information Services, Black Book and Canadian Black Book, the premier suppliers of automotive data. Hearst Business Media companies have offices in more than 30 countries.

About Hearst

Hearst is one of the nation's largest diversified media, information and services companies with more than 360 businesses. Its major interests include ownership in cable television networks such as A&E, HISTORY, Lifetime and ESPN; majority ownership of global ratings agency Fitch Group; Hearst Health, a group of medical information and services businesses; 30 television stations such as WCVB-TV in Boston and KCRA-TV in Sacramento, Calif., which reach a combined 19 percent of U.S. viewers; newspapers such as the Houston Chronicle, San Francisco Chronicle and Albany Times Union, more than 300 magazines around the world including Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Harper's BAZAAR and Car and Driver; digital services businesses such as iCrossing and KUBRA; and investments in emerging digital and video companies such as BuzzFeed, VICE and AwesomenessTV. Follow us on Twitter @HearstCorp and subscribe to Hearstlink.

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