A Day In The Life

Nykia Wright

Posted 01 July 2019

London Program

September 2001 Intake

Current Role: Interim CEO of the Chicago Sun-Times

My Alarm Goes off... I rarely use an alarm. I am conditioned to get up around 4:30am every morning. I use that time to head to the gym and collect my thoughts for the upcoming day.

I'm Responsible For... managing the turnaround of the oldest, continuously published newspaper in the city of Chicago - at a time when over 1000 publications have merged or shut down over the last ten years in the US.

I Got The Job... I became the COO in 2017, and was selected by the Board to become the Interim CEO one year later.

My Typical Day... I spend half of my day working on items that change our cost structure and the other half working on items that generate revenue.

The Culture Of My Workplace... is scrappy. We understand that our villain is extinction and we work very hard to ensure that we are doing to right things to create and sustain staying power.

My Most Memorable Work Moment... was calling on my family and most trusted friends to get their perspective on whether to accept the interim position.

My Role Models are... too many to count - includes family, peers, and friends. My brother always reminds me that I can learn something valuable from everyone that I come into contact with.

The Most Challenging Part of My Job... knowing the answer, but being patient enough with all of the moving parts to get in place for the answer to materialize.

The Best Part of My Job... being a part of a team that gives their all to ensure our long term survival.

After Work... I'm still thinking about work, as this industry is being disrupted before my eyes and staying still is equal to failing.

Plan B: If I wasn't doing this, I would... be running a portfolio of franchise businesses.