iHeartMedia Appointed Lainie Fertick Chief Insights Officer
The company has named a new executive to oversee insights and lead the StratCom leadership team.
Updated on Oct. 8, 2026 in People
Live Poll
Do you trust companies to use your personal data to improve your consumer experience?
iHeartMedia has appointed Lainie Fertick as the company's first Chief Insights Officer. In this role, she will lead insights work across the entire organization while joining the company's StratCom leadership team.
Why it matters
The creation of this new executive position underscores the focus iHeartMedia is placing on internal data and research initiatives. Fertick will report to Chief Programming Officer Tom Poleman to execute this strategy.
Lainie Fertick has a career history with the company dating back to 2004, when she joined Critical Mass Media as an intern before rising to become President and General Manager.
The players
Lainie Fertick
She is the newly appointed first Chief Insights Officer at iHeartMedia who previously led the company's insights division.
Tom Poleman
He serves as the Chief Programming Officer at iHeartMedia and oversees the work of the company's insights division.
Bob Pittman
He is a senior executive at iHeartMedia who participated in the announcement of the new leadership appointment.
Rich Bressler
He is a senior executive at iHeartMedia who co-announced the appointment of the new Chief Insights Officer.
iHeartMedia
This is a major American mass media company that specializes in radio broadcasting and audio content production.
The details
Company leaders Bob Pittman and Rich Bressler announced the appointment in a company memo. Fertick previously served as the President of iHeartMedia Insights, a position she held starting in 2024.
Timeline
Fertick joined Critical Mass Media as an intern in 2004.
Fertick became President of iHeartMedia Insights in 2024.
iHeart launched the AudioGraph platform with Triton Digital in June 2026.
The appointment was announced on October 8, 2026.
Market Landscape
The appointment follows the launch of the AudioGraph platform, signaling a deeper integration of data analytics into the company's operational strategy. This shift positions iHeartMedia to better leverage listener insights against competitors in the digital audio advertising sector.
For listeners and advertisers, this shift may lead to more targeted content and data-driven ad placements on iHeartMedia platforms. Consumers can expect the company to increasingly utilize insights gathered from their audio habits.
The takeaway
The addition of a dedicated Chief Insights Officer reflects a broader corporate trend of prioritizing data intelligence to drive programming and advertising decisions. Executives like Fertick are increasingly critical to navigating the data-rich environment of modern digital media.
Further reading
For more on industry leadership changes, visit People.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Radio Ink.
Live Poll
Do you trust companies to use your personal data to improve your consumer experience?
