Dev Pragad Newsweek CEO On Business Leadership & Success

Dev Pragad is a proud graduate of Harvard Business School and King’s College London. He is a fellow of King’s College London and completed the prestigious Owner/President Management program at Harvard Business School. Prior to Newsweek, Dev ran the United Kingdom edition of International Business Times (IBT) Media. 

Dev is the CEO of the iconic American media brand Newsweek. His business leadership skills have been responsible for its transformation from the verge of bankruptcy to a 100-million-strong global readership. Newsweek has risen out of the flames, building upon the legacy of being a standard bearer for modern responsible journalism, workplace equality, and inclusivity.

Dev Pragad’s understanding of leadership, both conceptually and theoretically, played a part in the transformation of Newsweek.  This article is hoping to inspire you today to realize what is possible and share key leadership lessons from Dev’s leadership journey and training.

Never being afraid to question the status quo, being bold of purpose, providing vision and courage, working collaboratively to drive change at every level, and taking risks whilst always maintaining accountability, authenticity, and transparency.

There is no reason to hang onto legacy models or fading glory. – Dev Pragad

Make big changes and allow no sacred cows.  Especially during periods of dynamic, unpredictable change.  No matter how successful we become, we can always learn from those around us. Effective listening gives you knowledge and perspectives that increase your leadership capacity.

Obstacles such as resistance to change, the burden of legacy, lack of agility, lack of vision, external influence, inefficient process, etc. are never insurmountable, and each success builds a reservoir of resilience that you can draw on.

There is a saying that goes something like this – Don’t measure a person’s success by how high they climb, but by how high they bounce when they hit the bottom.

Resilience is about learning from mistakes as well as successes – Three little words extraordinary leaders are not afraid to use: “I was wrong.”

Being a great leader requires vision—knowing what success looks like, seeing where opportunities exist and developing a roadmap that will guide everyone effectively. There are three tenets that I believe are essential to any business philosophy:

1. Recognize that purpose needs to be central to your business’ DNA. The ideal mission statement should embody key values and provide a guidepost for operations. Moreover, it should motivate and empower your team to embrace ambitious goals, while holding themselves and others to high standards.

2. Be open to seizing opportunities in places you might not have expected. Exceptional leaders have a gift for not only identifying opportunities but also optimizing them.

3. We live in a fast-paced world, and change is a constant. As a leader, you need to embrace change and champion it for yourself and your entire company. Those businesses that can evolve and pivot will be able to navigate any hurdle and rise to any occasion.

Dev Pragad converted what was once a struggling news magazine into one of the top-ranked sources for journalism. He is an entrepreneur, a thought leader, a CEO, and a change-maker.  He believes the most successful leaders today are those who are purpose-driven, maintain a sense of opportunity, and champion change.  Successful leaders are those who constantly challenge themselves and strive for self-improvement and likewise work to develop and empower those around them.

These inspiring achievements also became the topic of a Harvard Business School case study featuring Dev in a CEO/Executive program. Dev Pragad found the Owner/President Management (OPM) program at Harvard Business School’s Executive Education to be the perfect program to fit his goals and needs. For more information on Dev Pragad, see his Full Bio,  LinkedIn, and Twitter Profiles.