Gruner + Jahr Names New Top Executive

Gruner + Jahr USA Publishing

said Monday that it had named as its top executive Daniel B. Brewster, currently the president and chief executive of

American Express Publishing

.

Gruner + Jahr, which is 75% owned by the German media conglomerate

Bertelsmann

, said that hiring Brewster, who has a long history of magazine experience, demonstrates its "deep commitment" to push the company into among the top five magazine publishers in the U.S.

"Dan is the ideal person to lead G + J USA into the future," said Axel Ganz, president of the company's international magazine division, in a statement. "His accomplishments as a highly respected leader and strategic thinker in the magazine business, his strong background in creating new opportunities in all media outlets and his enthusiasm for the potential inherent in G + J's great assets will create the foundation for the next chapter in G + J USA's growth."

G+J's U.S. holdings include

Family Circle

,

Fitness

,

McCall's

and

YM

.

Brewster succeeds John Heins, who went to

America Online's

(AOL)

Netscape Communications

division in February to head up e-commerce and advertising operations.

American Express Publishing

, which produces

Travel & Leisure

and

Food & Wine

, among others, has enjoyed a significant turnaround in profits since 1993, when Brewster took over. The company is a partnership between

American Express

(AXP) - Get Report

and

Time Inc.

, the magazine division of

Time Warner

(TWX)

.