20 Under 40 - 2000 Profile: Denise F. Warren

PRESSTIME

By Presstime Magazine

First Published: December 2000

Switzerland." The word inspires images of chocolate. Or cheese. Or army knives. Yet that's what colleagues call the strategic-planning department led by Denise Warren, vice president of strategic planning for The New York Times, and staffed by 17 fellow visionaries.

To pursue its number-one job—helping senior executives think about the future of the business and solve operational problems that arise—the group analyzes input from many areas and presents the best solutions for the Times as a whole, staying neutral on individual topics. "At the end of the day, people respect our ideas," says Warren from her quiet office above the commotion of Times Square. "Everything has been vetted through a good process."

Warren sees her staff as an internal consulting firm, and she draws on her ad-department experience to follow a client-driven philosophy, right down to an "exceeding expectations" motto. Clients are "just about anybody at the newspaper," she says, and constant communication with them throughout a project is key. "They have to live with the decisions, so we make sure they're kept informed."

Warren's ability to spark good decisions is one of many superlatives cited by Janet L. Robinson, Times president and general manager. "Her keen understanding of competitive needs, innate sales ability and masterful negotiating performance have been of great benefit to her teams and to the department."

Working on varied projects, from press capacity to the effect of the Internet on the newspaper, "it's an interesting time to be in papers," says Warren, who co-chairs the Times' joint news and business-planning committee. "The Internet is a threat and an opportunity, and we've got a long way to go to figure out the issues. Papers need to morph and change, but there's always a place for them."

Education: 1985, B.S., management, Tulane University, New Orleans; 1992, M.B.A., Fordham University, New York City. Certified public accountant.
Career: 1985-88, supervisor, auditing practice, Coopers & Lybrand (now PricewaterhouseCoopers), New York City; 1988-94, financial analyst in the forest-products group, senior financial analyst in the corporate treasurer's department, business manager for group advertising sales and marketing in the women's magazine group, The New York Times Co.; 1994-present, project manager in the strategic-planning department, director of marketing, planning and research in the advertising department, vice president for advertising sales, and vice president for strategic planning, The New York Times.
Personal: Age, 36. Born, Brooklyn, N.Y. Married, husband Jaime, two daughters.
Diversions: Reading, skiing, decorating, family activities.
Connections: The New York Times, 229 W. 43rd St., 11th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10036. E-mail, warredf@nytimes.com; phone, (212) 556-7894; fax, (212) 556-7190.