John Boynton Named President and Chief Executive Officer of Torstar and Publisher of the Toronto Star

TORONTO, ON--(Marketwired - March 03, 2017) - Torstar Corporation (TSX: TS.B) announced today that John Boynton has been named as President and Chief Executive Officer of Torstar and as Publisher of the Toronto Star, effective March 31, 2017. Mr. Boynton succeeds David Holland, who announced last year his intention to retire when a successor had been appointed.

Mr. Boynton, age 53, has enjoyed an exceptional career in marketing and advertising, having held senior positions for more than 25 years in highly competitive businesses in Canada, the United States and Europe and earning respect as a turnaround and transformational leader.

Mr. Boynton is widely recognized for his experience and expertise in social, digital and mobile strategy and execution, with an emphasis on generating revenue and providing meaningful content for customers. Also, his background in marketing and advanced data analytics and monetization will assist Torstar in offering new and unique opportunities for its advertising and marketing clients.

Since 2014 Mr. Boynton has served as Chief Marketing Officer of the Americas Coalitions business of Aimia Inc., a leading data-driven marketing and loyalty analytics company that owns and operates Aeroplan and other loyalty programs across the globe. At Aimia, he was responsible for leading a team that transformed Aeroplan, resulting in improved revenues, advanced data capabilities for marketing clients and overall operating results.

Before joining Aimia Mr. Boynton was Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Rogers Communications Inc., one of Canada's largest media and communications companies. Prior to working for 12 years at Rogers Communications, he held senior executive positions with companies including Sprint Canada, AT&T Canada, Scott's Hospitality and Pepsico.

Mr. Boynton is Co-Vice Chair of the Toronto Region Board of Trade and a member of the board of the Canadian Marketing Association and Prostate Cancer Canada.

Born and raised in Toronto, Mr. Boynton is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario, Richard Ivey School of Business.

He will be the 11th President and CEO of Torstar and the 10^th Publisher of the Toronto Star in the newspaper's 125-year history.

"We are very pleased John Boynton has agreed to serve as President and Chief Executive Officer of Torstar and Publisher of the Toronto Star," said John Honderich, Chair of the Board of Torstar. "John is a proven strategic leader and a turnaround specialist with a unique blend of marketing and advertising experience that will benefit both Torstar's newspapers and its digital businesses.

"His background in leading successful teams in a variety of businesses, including data, digital, technology, internet, mobile, video, entertainment and consumer goods, is ideally suited for Torstar at this time in the company's evolution towards a more digital and mobile future," Mr. Honderich added.

"In addition, John brings to the Toronto Star a commitment and passion for the Atkinson Principles that guide Canada's largest newspaper."

"Torstar is a trusted and iconic Canadian company with an impressive group of skilled employees, content, customers, advertisers and data," Mr. Boynton said. "I am excited to be part of the future and hope to lead a fantastic team to a new chapter in leveraging these assets in new ways to drive new growth."

About Torstar Corporation

Torstar Corporation is a broadly based media company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TS.B). Its businesses include the Star Media Group led by the Toronto Star, Canada's largest daily newspaper and Free Daily News Group Inc., which publishes the English-language Metro newspapers in several Canadian cities; Metroland Media Group, publisher of community and daily newspapers in Ontario; and also include digital properties including thestar.com, Toronto Star Touch, Workopolis, wagjag.com, toronto.com, save.ca and eyeReturn Marketing Inc. It also holds majority interest in VerticalScope, a North American vertically-focused digital media company.