Urban List promotes Jacqui La’Brooy to CEO following Ben Naparstek’s departure
Jacqui La'Brooy is Urban List's new CEO (Credit: James Adams)
Urban List’s founder Susannah George is scaling back her day-to-day responsibilities within the business, and has appointed Jacqui La’Brooy to take on the CEO function.
La’Brooy replaces Ben Naparstek, who came on board as CEO in August last year, but has recently departed the business.
The business will also recruit a COO to act as a 2IC to La’Brooy.
George told Mumbrella that she remains the sole shareholder of the business, and she will continue to provide strategic support as a mentor and member of the advisory board.
“My focus is on setting Urban List up for its next wave of growth,” she said.
“With Jacqui stepping into the CEO role, she now has full responsibility for leading the business day-to-day, focusing on business performance, team engagement and long-term growth and value.
“I’ll remain the 100% shareholder and will continue to play an active role in shaping long-term strategy and providing counsel to Jacqui and the leadership team. I won’t have day-to-day involvement beyond our two-month transition period.”
George founded Urban List in 2011
La’Brooy joined Urban List from Pedestrian Group in 2020 as head of commercial. Soon after, she was promoted to chief commercial officer.
In a release about the appointment, the publisher said La’Brooy’s elevation to CEO reflects its focus on accelerating growth through new products, market expansion and continued investment in leadership, people and culture.
“Our intent is clear: we are an independent media brand on the incline, investing in growth across people, technology and innovation, delivering partners the cultural relevance and results they can’t find elsewhere. Urban List has always had an extraordinary ability to move audiences to act, not just scroll, and it’s time to scale that superpower and drive true brand value,” La’Brooy said in the announcement.
She told Mumbrella that her vision for success was also clear.
“Success as CEO will be measured by how well we scale Urban List’s cultural superpower in a way that delivers for everyone — our people, our partners, and our audiences. For me, that means building a business where our team thrives, our partners see real results, and our audiences feel genuinely connected. Ultimately, it’s about Urban List being locally relevant and globally known,” she said.
George also thanked Naparstek for his time at the helm.
“Ben made a strong contribution during his time as CEO, particularly in laying the early groundwork for our strategy and tech investment,” she told Mumbrella. “He’s moved on to new opportunities and we continue to have a positive relationship.
“With Jacqui stepping up, we’re building on that foundation and moving quickly into our next phase – scaling products, expanding into new markets and deepening brand impact.”
In addition, Urban List announced Scott Henderson has recently joined as head of content across APAC. Previous head of content, Alex Dickinson, departed in March.
Emma Bishop has been promoted to head of content across features and lifestyle, Elizabeth McDonald has come on board as commissioning producer, and Jessica Best has become Sydney editor.
In other departments, Daniel LaForest has been appointed product manager for platform and innovation, Sally Herbert has been promoted to head of commercial operations, and Hamish Taylor and Andi Baulderstone have stepped into new strategy leadership roles.
Urban List was founded by George in 2011. It won Media Brand of the Year at the 2021 and 2023 Mumbrella Awards, as well as Commercial Team of the Year and Brand of the Year at the 2023 Mumbrella Publish Awards.
