CNBC Exec Trades Finance for Fashions

Sep. 20–Pamela Thomas-Graham is finally signing off from CNBC.

The CNBC chairman, one of the highest ranking African-American women in media, is moving on to apparel giant Liz Claiborne, where she was named group president.

Thomas-Graham, 42, will oversee the flagship Liz Claiborne brand as well as labels Sigrid Olsen, J.H. Collectibles, Emma James, Intuitions and Tapemeasure.

Her exit from CNBC was expected after she lost the president’s title in February to NBC veteran Marc Hoffman, who took over the day-to-day responsibility for running the network.

A former partner at consulting firm McKinsey & Co., Thomas-Graham ran CNBC for four years. Under her reign, CNBC’s ratings tumbled as the dot-com bust cooled interest in business news.

“As CEO and then chairman of CNBC, Pamela led the network through a most challenging era in business news reporting,” said NBC Universal chairman Bob Wright in a statement. “The network has retained its strong profitability, and the CNBC audience continues to be among the wealthiest in all of cable television.”

Thomas-Graham, a Harvard M.B.A. and Harvard Law School graduate who also writes mystery books, advised apparel firms when she worked at McKinsey.

Patrick Diedrickson, an analyst at H&R Block Financial Advisors, said the brands Thomas-Graham will oversee are performing well.

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