Daniel Koh – Ziff Davis

At Ziff Davis, growth is more than a strategy—it’s a system. The publicly traded company has turned mergers and acquisitions into an exact science, methodically expanding across the digital media and internet sectors with a portfolio that includes leading brands in technology, shopping, gaming and entertainment, health and wellness, cybersecurity, and martech. Behind this well-oiled acquisition machine is Daniel Koh, deputy general counsel for M&A and corporate development, whose steady leadership and legal precision guide the company’s most transformative deals. For Koh, each acquisition is more than a set of legal documents. It’s a building block in Ziff Davis’s long-term vision of continued growth and expansion as a diversified powerhouse in the digital media and internet sectors.

Daniel Koh | Ziff Davis | Deputy General Counsel, M&A and Corporate Development

Koh’s interest in the law was almost inevitable. His father is an attorney who didn’t attend law school until he enrolled at 40 to fulfill his lifelong dream, after almost 20 years climbing the corporate ladder. From a young age, Koh, born in Japan to Korean parents, learned the value of grit and perseverance, traits that would come to define his professional journey.

When Koh was a child, his father made the bold decision to leave behind his career in Korea and move the family to the United States to attend law school, despite having never lived in the country and not being fluent in English. Watching his father persevere through those challenges gave Koh an early example of determination and grit, and law school became more than an abstract concept—it was something he witnessed being fought for every day. Meanwhile, his mother’s strength in raising two young boys in a new country showed him another kind of resilience: quiet, patient, and unwavering. His grandparents also played an influential role; during a visit to Korea when he was nine, they told him they hoped he would one day follow in his father’s footsteps. Years later, fulfilling that wish became one of the greatest joys of his life.

After earning a degree in government and sociology from Dartmouth College, he joined a New York law firm as a litigation paralegal. This experience helped him understand what kind of law he didn’t want to practice.

“Working in litigation confirmed that the courtroom wasn’t for me,” he says. “The process of writing briefs and reviewing discovery didn’t excite me the way that I felt deal-making and transactions could.”

After earning his J.D. from Boston College Law School, Koh joined Goodwin Procter in Boston, one of the country’s premier corporate law firms. There, he specialized in private equity and mergers and acquisitions, gaining firsthand experience in complex deal-making and learning the rhythm of negotiation. He began to appreciate the way legal precision and commercial strategy intertwined in successful transactions.

His next role, as one of the founding employees of the Boston office at Atlantic Global Risk, a boutique M&A insurance firm at the time and now one of the leading transactional insurance firms, gave him a broader view of the deal landscape and firsthand experience in scaling a business. He learned how to assess and mitigate risk at scale, building the skill set that would later define his career. By the time he joined Ziff Davis in 2021, Koh had become a dealmaker who understood both the stakes and the purpose behind every acquisition.

Orchestrating strategic growth

Ziff Davis’s acquisition program is built on discipline. Since 2013, the company has deployed more than $3.3 billion in M&A capital, acquiring and scaling more than 95 digital media and internet businesses. Its portfolio now includes leading brands such as CNET, PCMag, Mashable, Ookla (Speedtest, RootMetrics), IGN, RetailMeNot, Everyday Health, theSkimm, Vipre Security, and Moz, among many others.

Unlike companies that chase acquisitions for flash or volume, Ziff Davis invests in businesses with sustainable economics—those that generate recurring high revenues, healthy margins, and strong cash flow.

“We don’t force deals,” Koh explains. “We’re not trying to meet a quota. If the right opportunity isn’t there, we wait.”

That patience is central to Ziff Davis’s philosophy of “disciplined growth.” Each acquisition must fit not just financially, but strategically, serving as a durable piece of the company’s long-term framework. Koh’s role begins early in this process. Once the corporate development team identifies a target, he steps in to structure and negotiate the deal, draft letters of intent, guide legal diligence, and consummate the deal. His legal lens ensures that every agreement aligns with operational and compliance realities, while also leaving room for innovation.

“I get involved right from the jump,” he says. “From the NDA to the purchase agreement to the post-close integration process, my job is to facilitate deals, not block them.”

His goal is to find creative solutions to complex problems, helping the business move forward without compromising its legal safeguards.

A small but mighty team

Despite overseeing acquisitions across several distinct business units, Koh leads a remarkably lean M&A legal team—just himself and one corporate counsel, supported by lawyers and paralegals from the business units who assist and collaborate on deals. He describes their approach as “small but mighty,” emphasizing speed, efficiency, and collaboration.

That efficiency is essential in an environment where multiple deals can be in motion at once.

“We don’t just do one acquisition a year,” Koh says. “Sometimes we have a few going at the same time, and that makes deal execution and post-closing integration more challenging. But we’ve been good about not stretching ourselves too thin.” Koh has led more than 25 deals since joining Ziff Davis.

His leadership philosophy centers on trust and empowerment. He gives his team significant autonomy to handle negotiations, while remaining a constant source of support and perspective.

“I like to think of my leadership style as calm, cool, and collected,” he says. “I stay even-keeled, but when intensity is needed, I can bring it.”

That balance has allowed his team to thrive under pressure. Koh emphasizes communication, coordination, and collaboration—not just within legal, but across Ziff Davis’s corporate ecosystem. His team partners closely with business leaders, finance, technology, tax, IT, HR, and data security & privacy to ensure smooth transitions from acquisition to integration.

“We’re not just closing deals,” he explains. “We’re helping new companies become part of the Ziff Davis family.”

Learning through every deal

Since joining Ziff Davis, Koh has handled deals of all shapes and sizes, from seven-figure tuck-ins to complex transactions worth more than hundreds of millions of dollars. Each presents its own set of challenges, from cross-border regulatory issues to integration complexities involving different legal entities and employee structures.

“Even the least complicated deals have challenges,” he says. “You think it’ll be done in three or four weeks, and then unforeseen issues come up. Every deal has something you haven’t seen before so it keeps things exciting and fresh.”

Among his most notable transactions are the acquisitions of CNET and Lose It!, two strategically distinct but complementary moves that reflect the company’s versatility. The purchase of CNET signaled a significant expansion in digital publishing and tech media, reinforcing Ziff Davis’s leadership in online content and product reviews. The acquisition of Lose It!, a health and wellness app, represented the company’s push into digital health and consumer lifestyle technology—areas positioned for long-term growth.

These acquisitions illustrate Ziff Davis’s unique strength: the ability to identify undervalued or high-potential assets, enhance them through operational and technological integration, and scale them efficiently. Koh’s legal guidance ensures that this process unfolds smoothly, protecting the company’s interests while enabling business agility.

As a negotiator, he has evolved significantly from his early days in private practice.

His grandmother’s advice is something he carries with him every day: treat everyone with kindness and respect, whether it’s the janitor or the CEO.  It’s a principle that continues to shape how he lives and works, with a bit of a twist for negotiating. “When I started out, I wanted to be the nice guy and was just trying to make everyone happy—even opposing counsel sometimes,” he recalls with a grin. “But over time, I’ve learned that effective negotiation isn’t about pleasing everyone; it’s about knowing when to stand your ground. When you’re respectful and kind throughout the process – but firm and forceful when it matters – people take you more seriously. You earn trust and credibility, and you can still be a killer when it counts.”

Each transaction, he adds, offers lessons that inform the next.

“After more than ten years in M&A, I’m still learning something new with every deal,” Koh says.