Alison “Ali” Engel

USA Today parent Gannett said that Alison “Ali” Engel is stepping down as chief financial officer at the end of the first quarter to pursue other opportunities.

“I greatly enjoyed my time at Gannett and wish the company nothing but success in the future,” said Engel.

Gannett’s board of directors started the process to find and appoint Engel’s successor.

Mark Maring, Gannett’s current treasurer, is expected to lead the finance function after Engel’s departure until a new finance chief is appointed. Maring had most recently served as the treasurer of GateHouse Media for 10 years prior to its merger with Gannett.

The combined company of New Media Investment Group, the parent of GateHouse Media, and Gannett was formed in November 2019, and created the largest media company in the United States by print circulation. It has more than 260 daily publications and hundreds of weekly papers.

When the companies announced the terms of the merger and key executives, Engel was expected to serve as the chief financial officer of the combined company.

“On behalf of our board and leadership team, we thank Ali for her dedication and invaluable contributions over the past five years,” said Paul Bascobert, Gannett Media chief executive officer. “She has been a tireless leader and advocate for our mission and helped us to successfully navigate both a proxy fight and merger this past year. We wish her all the best as she considers her next adventure.”

Engel became CFO of the media company in June 2015 after serving six months as the company’s vice president of finance. Prior to joining Gannett, she was chief financial officer of A. H. Belo. Engel served A. H. Belo following its spin-off in 2008 from Belo Corp. She joined Belo in 2003 as director/accounting operations. Engel currently serves on the corporate advisory board of SOME (So Others Might Eat).