Former Nat Geo CEO Gary Knell joins QCatalyst as a partner

Gary Knell, former CEO of the National Geographic Society and NPR, has joined consulting firm QCatalyst as a partner.

Led by former PBS Chief Digital Officer Jason Seiken, QCatalyst works with a wide range of clients, with a focus on digital and public media. It’s a world Knell knows well from his time at NPR and from running Sesame Workshop earlier in his career. In his new role, Knell will be a key player in the team advising clients on business strategy and transformation, management consulting, marketing and board engagement.

Knell said Variety he observed that many nonprofits and startups struggle with integrating digital strategy into all aspects of their operations.

“You can’t just think about digital products. You have to have a strategy,” Knell said. “I can bring perspective to help develop forward-looking plans for businesses and clients. Jason and his team analyze the execution parts. Most of my work is in helping people with strategy, organizational design, branding and marketing.”

QCatalyst, based in Washington, DC, was a good fit for Knell’s interests because of his work with nonprofit media and cause-driven organizations, he said. The company spends a lot of time studying how AI tools can be implemented in the fields of education, English language learning and helping students with special needs. Knell, who is based in New York, also joined the board of QCatalyst’s sister AI company Zoc.

“We’ve all been around the block. We have the experience to work with organizations that are trying to innovate and that are trying to disrupt,” he said.

After leaving Nat Geo in 2021, Knell was a senior media advisor at the Boston Consulting Group. He also serves on the boards of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Story Corps, and Common Sense Media.