CNBC’s Pamela Thomas-Graham will leave the company for a job as group president of Liz Claiborne Inc.
Thomas-Graham was president and CEO of CNBC for four years beginning in 2001. She was eased into a strategic planning and brand-extending role as chairman in February when Mark Hoffman was brought in as president/CEO to oversee the ratings-challenged business news net.
The chairman post will not be filled.
A former partner at consulting firm McKinsey & Co. and a member of its consumer practice, Thomas-Graham will now oversee Liz Claiborne’s flagship label and its other brands.
“While I look forward to my new responsibilities, I also will miss working with my distinguished colleagues at GE, NBCU and CNBC,” said Thomas-Graham in a statement announcing her departure. “These past six years have been extraordinarily fulfilling both professionally and personally.”
Thomas-Graham, 42, holds degrees from Harvard College, Harvard Business School and Harvard Law School.
NBC Universal-owned CNBC averaged 130,000 total viewers this summer – down 10 percent from last year.
