Chris Argentieri Named President of California Times; Jeff Crawford Joins as CFO

Chris Argentieri has been appointed President of the California Times, which includes the Los Angeles Times and San Diego Union-Tribune and their community and lifestyle publications in Southern California, after serving as Chief Operating Officer since June 2018.

In addition, Jeff Crawford has transitioned from his role as Chief Financial Officer at NantWorks to CFO of its sister company, the California Times. Both moves were announced by Executive Chairman of the California Times Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong.

Argentieri joined the Los Angeles Times in late 2014 as General Manager, overseeing business operations and leading major strategic initiatives spanning the organization, from the launch of L.A. Times Studios to the acquisition of The San Diego Union-Tribune. During the period between the announcement of Nant’s acquisition of The Times and Union-Tribune and the transaction close, he was the lead executive, managing the overall day-to-day business operations.

“Since forming our new company, Chris has shown that he has an entrepreneurial spirit that will keep us moving forward, a tireless work ethic that has been invaluable as we continue our transition to independence, and an abiding belief in the importance of journalism,” Soon-Shiong said. As President and COO, Argentieri will continue reporting directly to Soon-Shiong.

Crawford worked at another of Soon-Shiong’s companies, NantWorks, for five years, ultimately as CFO, overseeing finance and accounting for businesses in the healthcare, biotechnology, media, gaming and clean energy industries before joining the California Times.

“He has a deep understanding of finance, budget planning and accounting administration,” Soon-Shiong said. “As we focus on digital subscriptions and continue diversifying our business – extending our journalism and storytelling through additional platforms – Jeff is working with the finance and accounting teams, and every department, to build the administrative infrastructure we need to sustain ourselves and grow.”