Marcus Rich, CEO of IPC Media has announced (today) a company restructure that removes the business divisions of Connect, Inspire and Southbank, uniting the business as ‘one IPC’.
Marcus says: “IPC has powerful, market-leading brands with unparalleled reach and engagement and the most talented, best-in-class people in the industry. These are assets that I am excited by because they provide us with the strongest possible foundation for growth, which is our focus.
“Our brands already satisfy and engage our consumers’ passions, whether it’s for horses, interiors, television, cycling, wine, bingo or the many other markets that sit at the heart of IPC. And now we are going to drive new revenue streams, leveraging our portfolio in innovative ways, resourcing with the right skills, making smart investments and creating original and successful opportunities for our advertising partners.
“One IPC describes an approach to how we manage our brands and our business. One IPC means that where we create successful revenue enhancing strategies for one brand, or in one market, we immediately look to scale that thinking and develop it across other brands and markets. It means that where we see well-proven efficiencies in one part of the business, we instigate that learning across other parts of the portfolio. And clients and agency partners will have a single point of access for IPC’s valuable audiences and brands.”
The one IPC approach leads to some changes in responsibility among the IPC Media board of directors, with each taking strategic ownership of particular audiences or focusing on driving growth in key sectors:
- Charlie Meredith, will continue to be responsible for IPC’s advertising team and will reveal a new strategy that will reflect IPC’s new unified structure later in the summer.
- Neil Robinson will continue to be responsible for IPC’s reach in web, tablet and mobile. In addition, he will lead on developing the digital potential of key brands at IPC including NME, Now and Look.
- Fiona Dent will head up IPC’s lifestyle brands: Chat, Essentials, Goodtoknow, Pick Me Up, Woman, woman&home, Woman’s Own and Woman’s Weekly, along with the television and homes portfolio. All of these brands provide IPC with a platform to drive our successful e-commerce learning and to rapidly develop new businesses.
- Jackie Newcombe will be responsible for exploiting the strategic opportunities that exist within luxury through Marie Claire, InStyle, and Wallpaper* and more. Jackie will be responsible for capitalising on IPC’s existing strengths to drive both domestic and global growth. Look, as part of IPC’s joint venture with Groupe Marie Claire, will continue to report to Jackie, as will licensing and syndication.
- Paul Williams will lead our brands in the specialist areas of country, cycling, equestrian, gardening, marine, motors, music, sport, technology and wine. The footprint IPC has in these sectors mean that it is well placed to build on learnings in consumer events, awards and instruction.
- Stephen Hirst will extend his Marketforce remit by taking on the marketing and distribution of Time Inc. Europe’s brands, TIME and Fortune.
In addition, Group Strategy director Andrea Davies joins the board.