Alyce Alston is Named President, Home & Garden and Health & Wellness for The Reader's Digest Association, Inc.

    PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y., March 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Alyce Alston, Chief
 Executive Officer of De Beers North America, has been named President, Home
 & Garden and Health & Wellness for The Reader's Digest Association, Inc.,
 it was announced today by Mary Berner, RDA's President and Chief Executive
 Officer. Alston will report to Berner and become a member of the company's
 Executive Committee.
     (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070322/CLTH332)
     After being named CEO of De Beers North America in 2005, Alston
 launched and built the luxury brand in the United States. In developing the
 business, she introduced a five-year, 20-store plan, devised a breakthrough
 e-commerce approach and implemented an effective retail and wholesale plan.
     "We are delighted that Alyce is coming over to Reader's Digest from De
 Beers," Berner said. "We are confident that she will make a significant
 contribution to the efforts of our senior team to transform and grow the
 company's business."
     At RDA, Alston will lead a division that is part of a new organization
 being built around consumer affinity interests. To develop businesses
 around Home & Garden and Health & Wellness, Alston will leverage the
 strengths of RDA's existing properties from its portfolio of companies
 while also assessing opportunities for new initiatives.
     Alston said, "I am excited to move from one world-class brand to an
 even larger platform at Reader's Digest. RDA has worldwide brand
 recognition, unparalleled direct marketing expertise and content with broad
 customer appeal. It is an honor for me to have the opportunity to join and
 help lead RDA at this exciting time."
     Alston came to De Beers after serving for five years with Fairchild
 Publications / Conde Nast Publications, where she was Group Publisher and
 Vice President of W, W Jewelry and Vitals Magazines. She conceived of and
 launched W Jewelry as W's first brand extension.
     Before coming to Fairchild and Conde Nast, Alston was the launch
 Publisher of O, The Oprah Magazine, for Hearst Publications, in 1999. While
 there, Alston created and implemented "Oprah Upfront," a successful new
 concept for selling. Previously, she was Publisher of YM Magazine at Gruner
 + Jahr Publications, Associate Publisher of Allure magazine, and West Coast
 Advertising Manager for TV Guide.
     Alston holds an MBA from Pepperdine University and a Bachelor of
 Business Administration from Southern Methodist University. She is active
 in support of organizations including the St. Jude Children's Research
 Hospital and Jewelers for Children, where she is a member of the Board of
 Directors.
     The Reader's Digest Association, Inc. is a global publisher and direct
 marketer of books, magazines, music collections and video with customers in
 more than 70 countries. The company publishes 77 magazines, including 50
 local-country editions of its flagship, Reader's Digest, the world's most
 widely read magazine. The company is privately held by a group of investors
 led by Ripplewood Holdings L.L.C. RDA's headquarters are located near
 Pleasantville, New York. The corporate website is http://www.rda.com.
 
 

SOURCE Reader's Digest