Specialist media platform Future has promoted long-time exec Kevin Li Ying chief executive officer. He takes up the post and his place on the board on 31 March to lead the group whose titles include shopping platform Who What Wear and digital fashion magazine Marie Claire.

Current CEO Jon Steinberg will step down on 30 March and will act as senior advisor until 30 June “to ensure a smooth transition”.

Currently EVP of B2C, the group’s largest division, Li Ying’s been with Future for over 20 years becoming  a “key contributor to the successful transformation of the company from a traditional print publisher into a leading global digital media platform of today”, the company said. 

In his current role he’s had full responsibility for all B2C brands, editorial and revenue generation consisting of commercial advertising, e-commerce, subscriptions and newstrade revenue “while ensuring technology and data are central to the B2C offer”.

Prior to this, he was chief technology officer, a position he held for eight years.

Chair Richard Huntingford said: “Kevin is a strong visionary leader with an unmatched knowledge of the Group, from its tech stack to its revenue streams.”

Li Ying added: “I look forward to continue to execute on the strategy, and am excited about our growth opportunities, building on our track record of innovation and producing excellent content and products to attract valuable audiences through a platform-agnostic approach.”