Gary Knell, Former CEO of Nat Geo and NPR, Joins QCatalyst Consulting Firm as Partner

Cynthia Littleton

Gary Knell, former CEO of National Geographic Society and NPR, has joined consulting firm QCatalyst as a partner.

Headed by former PBS digital chief Jason Seiken, QCatalyst works with a range of clients with an emphasis on digital and public media outlets. That’s a world Knell knows well from his time at NPR and his tenure running Sesame Workshop earlier in his career. In his new role, Knell will be a key player in the team that offers advice to clients on business strategy and transformation, leadership advisory, marketing and board engagement.

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Knell told Variety he has observed that many nonprofit and startup companies struggle with integrating digital strategy into all aspects of their operation.

“You can’t just think about having digital products. You have to have a strategy,” Knell said. “I can bring a perspective to help build out plans that are forward-facing for companies and clients. Jason and his team are drilling down on the execution parts. Most of my work is in helping folks with strategy, organizational design, branding and marketing.”

Washington, D.C.-based QCatalyst was a good fit for Knell’s interests because of its work with nonprofit media and purpose-driven organizations, he said. The company is spending a lot of time studying how AI tools can be deployed in areas of education, English-language learning and helping students with special needs. Knell, who is based in New York, has also joined the board of QCatalyst’s sibling AI firm, Zoc.

“We’ve all been around the block. We’ve got the experience to work with organizations that are trying to innovative and trying to be disruptive,” he said.

After leaving Nat Geo in 2021, Knell served as a senior advisor for media at Boston Consulting Group. He also serves on the boards of Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Story Corps and Common Sense Media.

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