Former NPR, National Geographic CEO Gary Knell Named Partner with Consulting Firm QCatalyst

Knell Also Joins Board of Advisors for AI-Powered Educational Startup Zoc

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, August 22, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- QCatalyst, an innovative consulting and software development firm specializing in helping companies use artificial intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies to drive business growth, announced today that media industry trailblazer Gary E. Knell, former President and CEO of National Geographic, NPR and Sesame Workshop, has joined the firm as Partner.

In this new role, Knell will expand QCatalyst’s existing technology-focused client advisory services to include business strategy, leadership advisory, marketing, board engagement, change management, and other related disciplines.

Additionally, Knell will join the board of advisors for QCatalyst client Zoc, creator of an AI-powered educational tool. Zoc was nominated for several Webby awards in 2024, including for the best use of AI.

Knell brings more than four decades of C-level leadership experience to QCatalyst. He is widely admired for his track record of helping purpose-driven media brands drive growth and positive social impact and navigate the disruptive force of technology. Additionally, he is a sought-after board member and counselor to a number of for-profit and nonprofit organizations.

“I’ve long admired Gary’s ability to identify business and technology opportunities and his willingness to take big swings to leverage those opportunities at the iconic companies he leads. Gary will bring this sensibility to our work with clients, helping them seize spaces for growth,” said QCatalyst CEO Jason Seiken.

“This opportunity aligns perfectly with the work I find most rewarding—leading companies through transformations that allow them to operate more efficiently and effectively than before,” said Knell. “I have found that Jason and the QCatalyst team share this same passion. I'm excited about the work we’ll do together.”

Knell was President and CEO of the National Geographic Society, where he oversaw the Society’s vast nonprofit activities globally, later serving as chair of National Geographic Partners, the global joint venture owned by The Walt Disney Company and the National Geographic Society, which includes National Geographic television, print and digital assets, and related activities in travel and consumer products. Prior to that, Knell served as President and CEO of NPR, where he oversaw the organization’s fiscal, operational, and journalistic integrity while championing the use of new technologies to advance NPR's core mission and grow its audiences. Earlier, he served as President and CEO of Sesame Workshop, the worldwide leader in children’s television that produces Sesame Street, focusing on using the power of media to educate children. He has also served as Senior Vice President at WNET/THIRTEEN in New York and as Counsel to the US Senate Governmental Affairs and Judiciary Committees.

Among his many accomplishments during his career, Knell may be best known as a key architect of a groundbreaking joint venture between the National Geographic Society and 21st Century Fox (now with The Walt Disney Company). This reset ensured the Society’s ongoing financial health despite a challenging media environment and gained a highly visible foothold on Disney’s major global platforms and products.

Knell currently serves as a board director for the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, the Society for Science, StoryCorps, and Common Sense Media. He was a long-time board member of Heidrick and Struggles (HSII), Save the Children, and AARP Services.

About QCatalyst
Since 2016, QCatalyst has provided business and technology solutions to some of the world’s most respected brands. Clients include the BBC, the National Geographic Society, the MIT Media Lab, a major health insurance company, and more than 30 PBS and NPR stations. The QCatalyst team includes C-suite executives, product managers, and software developers who have led business transformation, technology modernization, and revenue growth at companies such as National Geographic, The Washington Post, PBS, and Sesame Workshop.

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Jennifer Byrne
QCatalyst
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