New York, NY — October 9, 2018 — BuzzFeed today announced that it has appointed Eric W. Muhlheim as its new Chief Financial Officer (CFO), a role in which he will oversee the company’s global finance, accounting and facilities teams, working to advance BuzzFeed’s revenue diversification and growth strategy. Muhlheim joins BuzzFeed from the programmatic advertising marketplace OpenX Technologies, where as CFO he managed the company’s accounting, financial planning and analysis, and business intelligence functions. Eric will be based in BuzzFeed’s Los Angeles office and report to its founder and CEO, Jonah Peretti. Eric will officially join BuzzFeed on October 15, 2018.
“As we continue to diversify our business across advertising, commerce, and studio development, I’m excited to partner with a smart, strategic operator like Eric who knows how to lead companies quickly unlocking new revenue,” said Peretti. “Eric’s prior leadership roles in fast-growth startups and global media companies alike bring the perfect blend of expertise to BuzzFeed at this critical phase in our evolution.”
“BuzzFeed is the clear leader within the shifting digital media landscape and has created a new model for the aggregation of audiences across platforms, monetization of content, and diversification of revenue streams,” said Muhlheim. “I am excited by the opportunity to help drive profitable growth across BuzzFeed while supporting its investment in initiatives that have kept it nimble and singularly innovative.”
Muhlheim brings more than two decades of operational and strategic finance experience to BuzzFeed. As CFO at OpenX, he led full-scale efforts to boost revenue, drive operational efficiency and execute critical business objectives. Before OpenX, Muhlheim was CFO of Helix Education, Inc., where he focused on strategy, controls, and change management, and doubled the company’s size by overseeing the acquisition and integration of the Institute for Professional Development. Muhlheim also served as CFO of Altius Education, Inc. prior to its acquisition by Helix.
Prior to his CFO roles, Muhlheim served The Walt Disney Company for 16 years as a leader in the Corporate Strategic Planning and Consumer Products arms of the company. While there, Muhlheim developed the launch strategy for the Disney English division and oversaw the expansion of its China-based learning centers; conceptualized and created the business model for Disney Playmation, marrying Internet-of-Things consumer products with innovative entertainment experiences; negotiated the acquisition of the Muppets character franchise; and laid strong foundations for optimizing the growth and profitability of brands such as the Disney Channel and Miramax.
Muhlheim started his career as a Mergers and Acquisitions Analyst at Morgan Stanley & Co, Inc. Muhlheim graduated from Princeton University cum laude in Mathematics and holds an MBA from The Stanford Graduate School of Business.
About BuzzFeed
BuzzFeed is the world’s leading tech-powered media company, with a cross-platform news and entertainment network that reaches hundreds of millions of people globally. The company produces articles, lists, quizzes, videos, original series; lifestyle content through BuzzFeed Media Brands including Tasty, the world’s largest social food network; original productions across broadcast, cable, SVOD, film and digital platforms for BuzzFeed Studios; original reporting and investigative journalism through BuzzFeed News; and BuzzFeed Commerce, which develops social commerce products and experiences, as well as licensing and other strategic partnerships.