Gudmundsson Named CEO of Beckett Media
Will work to expand company through new products and services
Beckett Media, the leading publisher of sports and specialty market collectible guides
in the U.S., today announced that it has named Peter A. Gudmundsson, 41, as CEO. In that
role, he will work with the company’s senior management to expand the company’s product
and service offerings. Company founder and former CEO Dr. James Beckett remains as an
advisor.
"Peter comes to Beckett with a wide range of publishing and online media experience,"
said Charles G. McCurdy, Chairman and CEO of Apprise Media LLC, which bought Beckett earlier
this month. "As a publishing entrepreneur, he understands the need to manage the brand and
address the needs and concerns of key audiences like collectors. At the same time, he also knows
how to grow a company through internal development and complementary acquisitions."
"Beckett is a strong company with the most powerful and best-recognized brand in the sports
and specialty market collectibles world," Gudmundsson said. "It has successfully made
the transition to a robust online presence that addresses the needs of the collector community
for immediate access to the most timely pricing information. I look forward to working with the
senior management team and Jim Beckett to grow the company through new products and services that
extend the value of the Beckett brand."
Gudmundsson has been owner and President of Design Guide Publishing Ltd, the publisher of the
Dallas-Fort Worth Design Guide and the Austin Design Guide and Publisher of Home Improvement –
Dallas, a monthly magazine he founded in 2003.
Prior to founding Design Guide Publishing, Gudmundsson was President and CEO of Jobs.com,
an Internet employment services company. Before joining Jobs.com, he served successively as
Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer and later President of Primedia Workplace
Learning, a pioneer in the field of distance learning content and services delivered via
satellite television and the Internet. Earlier, Gudmundsson served as Vice President of
Corporate Development for Primedia Inc. in New York. In that position, he reported to Mr.
McCurdy and managed the acquisition of eleven companies with a combined purchase price of
$250 million.
Prior to joining Primedia, Gudmundsson worked as the Assistant to the President and Manager
of Corporate Development of Tosco Corporation, a leading independent oil refining company
headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut. He has worked as an investment banker in corporate
finance, debt capital markets and mergers & acquisitions at Morgan Stanley & Co. in New York.
A former U.S. Marine artillery and intelligence officer, Gudmundsson is a graduate of Harvard
Business School and Brown University.
Source: Beckett Media LP
Date: January 26, 2005
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