Yahoo executive joins Hearst amid reorganization

NEW YORK -- A Yahoo executive in charge of news and information is jumping ship to media conglomerate Hearst, as a major overhaul of management at the search company is expected to hit this week.

Neeraj Khemlani, 38, will join Hearst as its vice president and special assistant to the chief executive for digital media on March 23. It is a newly created position.

He directed original content programming across Yahoo and oversaw business development deals with major media companies. Previously, Khemlani worked as a producer for CBS News' 60 Minutes and 60 Minutes II from 1998 to 2006. In addition, he was a creative consultant to Imagine Entertainment and ABC Entertainment, advising scriptwriters.

He also was a producer for ABC News. Khemlani started his media career as a newspaper reporter, stringing for The New York Times and The Post-Standard in Syracuse, N.Y.

"We are sorry to see Neeraj go, but we wish him the very best," Yahoo said. It did not name a successor.

Yahoo's recent hiring of Chief Executive Carol Bartz has been expected to shake things up at the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based search giant. Media reports have speculated Bartz is likely to undo or scale back prior reorganizations by former CEO Jerry Yang.

Media conglomerate Hearst owns newspapers, magazines and television stations and holds stakes in cable networks, business publishing, Internet companies and real estate.