By Geneva Nodland |
Geneva Nodland
G RO U N D B R E A K I N G C EO
CHRISTI E HEFNER Internationally Known; Locally Involved hen you talk to Christie Hefner, who's backed by unwavering confidence that you'd think someone would have to train for in order to display so cooly, you start to understand that some things just are what they are. You see that confidence when you examine her decision to take on the position of Playboy Enterprises' president at the age of 29. She talks as if her successful efforts to move said company into a digital expansion where no other publication had gone before, was no different from picking between the steak or the chicken at dinner. In 1982, Christie took the reins and stepped into the role of president of Playboy. With that new title came additional weight as the company had run into financial issues, but with fearless ambition (and with lack of an MBA she reminds us), Christie greeted the business that she would spend a good chunk of her career navigating and growing into an immensely successful legacy. Taking over as CEO in 1988 and simultaneously becoming one of the youngest female CEOs of a major public company at the time, Christie oversaw Playboy's expansion from print into cable TV, video production, online accessibility and e-commerce, international publishing, and licensing of the Playboy brand. The company's revenues grew from $76 million in 1988 to over $500 million by the late 1990s under her leadership. During Christie's tenure, Playboy's international presence expanded by launching over 20 foreign editions of Playboy magazine and taking the company public on international stock exchanges. She modernized Playboy with investments in digital media and entertainment. As a supporter of women's empowerment, she pushed for Playboy to feature more substantive articles and accomplished women in addition to the infamous pictorials.
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AUGUST 2023