Editor’s note: In an ongoing series, INMA is profiling our most engaged members — our super fans. Today we profile Kendell Timmers, senior vice president/head of data and insights at The New York Times in New York, United States.

Kendell Timmers understands better than many people just how much competition our attention faces today. As senior vice president/head of data and insights for The New York Times, she sees the information overload consumers face and understands what that means to news media companies.

“I think it’s fascinating to think about how we’re competing for people’s attention against so many different kinds of media — and for subscriptions, against so many different kinds of subscription products,” she said.

INMA recently caught up with her to learn more about what’s on her mind.

INMA: What big lesson have you learned over the past couple of years that helped shape your plans for 2023?

Timmers: Get the basics right before you get too fancy.  

INMA: If you had your career to do over again, what would you want to know in the beginning?

Timmers: Try lots of new things — and apply for roles even if you know you don’t meet every requirement listed.

INMA: What makes you excited to get out of bed in the morning?

Timmers: Building a great team.

INMA: What is the craziest job or project you’ve ever done in media — and what did you learn from it?

Timmers: Manual review of many articles to check our topic modelling accuracy, which took forever because I kept wanting to read all the articles. It really made me think about how we categorise coverage.

INMA: What success within your company are you most proud of right now?

Timmers: Too many to count! But two of my all-time favourites are dynamic metre algorithms for paywalls and replacing third-party audiences with first-party for advertising.

INMA: What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned in your career?

Timmers: Try, fail, and try again. The best ideas often take two or three iterations to work.

INMA: What do you do to relax?

Timmers: NYT Crossword. I’m obsessed.

INMA: If you hadn’t gone into news media, what was your backup plan?

Timmers: I mean, this is my backup plan. Originally wanted to be an actual journalist!

INMA: What is your favourite thing to read?

Timmers: Eeeeeeverything. I read 50 to 80 books a year. I love literary fiction and memoirs but lots of sci-fi/fantasy, YA, and graphic novels.

INMA: What are you most excited about for 2023?

Timmers: Making our data even easier to find, use, and understand for the whole company.

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