Lexington, KY - The Board of Trustees of Blood-Horse Publications today announced that Marla Bickel has been appointed as Publisher & CEO, succeeding Stacy V. Bearse, who will retire from the company on November 1, 2010.
“I applaud the Board’s selection,” said Mr. Bearse. “Marla is one of the brightest and most progressive professionals I’ve encountered during my years in publishing. I have no doubt that she will continue to develop innovative new ways to serve our global audience of readers and marketing partners.”
Marla joined Blood-Horse Publications (BHP) in 2006 as Director of Circulation and was promoted to Vice President of Operations in 2008. She has over 20 years of experience in publishing both trade and consumer magazines. Prior to joining Blood-Horse Publications, Marla was a Sales Director and Publisher at The National Underwriter Company (now Summit Business Media).
Under her leadership, the BHP embarked on a number of significant transformations. Traditional direct-mail solicitation was largely abandoned for digital audience-development methods. And, a series of new business ventures were developed to meet a burgeoning demand for fast, authoritative delivery of content. These new products included electronic newsletters, webinars and the TrueNicks data service. Marla serves as a Director of TrueNicks LLC.
When asked to comment on her new role, Marla said, “We have a long-standing reputation as the relevant, reliable and authoritative voice in the industries we serve. I will continue to meet that expectation while developing innovative media and marketing services to help advertisers achieve their goals. I will be looking to attract a sales professional from outside our organization to work with our sales team to implement customized solutions for our customers.”
Blood-Horse Publications is a multimedia publishing company that traces its roots to 1916. Its weekly flagship publication, The Blood-Horse, is the leading Thoroughbred racing and breeding news and information magazine. The core web sites, TheHorse.com and BloodHorse.com, are visited by more than 500,000 fans and professionals each month. Blood-Horse Publications is a subsidiary of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association.
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