NEW YORK, January 18, 2012 – Hearst Corporation today named Philip R. Wiser, a digital entrepreneur and former chief technology officer of Sony Corporation of America, to the new position of chief technology officer. The announcement was made by Frank A. Bennack, Jr., CEO of Hearst Corporation and Steven R. Swartz, chief operating officer. Wiser, 45, will start his new role on February 1, 2012.
Wiser was until recently the chairman and president of Sezmi Corporation, a provider of broadband-broadcast hybrid TV solutions that he co-founded in 2006. Sezmi was recently sold to Prague-based KIT Digital.
“Phil’s been on the front lines of the digital convergence,” Bennack said. “His experience as chief technology officer of a major media company and building digital companies in two different fields—television and music—will certainly help our businesses grapple with the changing landscape and continue to provide the best media and information products possible. We welcome him to Hearst.”
“Hearst has been pushing the envelope in the digital arena for some time and has been very successful in leveraging its products and brands through new channels,” Wiser said. “I see great future potential and I’m delighted to join Hearst to help accelerate its efforts and maximize digital market opportunities across the Corporation.”
From 2004 to 2006, Wiser was CTO at Sony Corporation of America, responsible for growing digital businesses and maximizing the combined benefit of technology and content for the company including music, movies and games.
At Sony, he formed the Digital Business Group at Sony Music and served as its CTO and senior vice president from 2001 to 2004, overseeing all technology strategy and digital businesses.
Wiser also built the first online music distribution platform as a founder of Liquid Audio, an early pioneer in online music distribution, where he served as CTO and a director of its Board from 1996 to 2001.
Wiser graduated from Stanford University in 1993 with a master’s in electrical engineering and from University of Maryland in 1990 with a bachelor’s in the same field.