Inquirer hires a former Boston Globe executive as chief revenue officer

The Philadelphia Inquirer has hired Peter Doucette, who spent more than a decade in sales and marketing jobs at the Boston Globe, as chief revenue officer, the newspaper’s publisher and chief executive, Elizabeth H. Hughes, said Thursday.

Doucette, 50, will join The Inquirer on Feb. 1 from FTI Consulting, where he has worked since 2018 and where he led a partnership with the Google News Initiative to help local news publishers adjust to online news delivery.

“Peter is an innovative and respected leader, especially when it comes to the digital transformation of news publications,” Hughes said. “We will benefit enormously from his experience as we continue on our mission of producing and delivering news in ways that best suit our diverse audiences.”

During Doucette’s time at the Globe, the news organization was a leader among regional publications in convincing readers to pay for digital subscriptions. Last year the Globe reached more than 200,000 digital subscriptions, according to GBH News.

The Inquirer ended 2020 with more than 47,000 digital-only subscribers, a jump of a third from the year before.

“I am honored to join the incredible team at The Inquirer. I look forward to continuing to build a model for sustainable local news in this great city,” Doucette said. “Together in partnership with the Lenfest Institute, we can achieve a strong future for journalism in Philadelphia and beyond.”

The Google News Initiative Subscriptions Lab, developed with the Local Media Association, worked with 10 newspapers in 2019 that were already having some success with digital subscriptions to help them grow faster. The association reported early last year that the effort achieved “impressive results, including 55% increase in subscribers year-over-year, and a 43% increase in average monthly consumer revenue.”

Doucette will also work as strategic adviser on digital revenue for the Lenfest Institute, The Inquirer’s nonprofit owner.