01.09.08

Restructuring of Ringier Switzerland

New structures, spheres and people create optimal conditions for the further development of the current and new publishing activities of Ringier Switzerland.

Starting today, the management board of Ringier Switzerland officially commences work under the leadership of Marc Walder. In recent months, the management board until now and new management board have intensely promoted the reorganization of structures for the Swiss publishing house and thus created optimal conditions for business in a dynamic environment for Ringier Switzerland.

New Media
In the New Media sphere, under business-management member Christoph Bauer, the following new subdivisions have been created:

  1. Media Site Center (MSC):
    The new Internet service center for Ringier’s Internet activities, pools capacities in technology and know-how and thus secures a continuous exchange of knowledge at national and international levels.
    Leadership: Thomas Huwiler, divisional management member for New Media
  2. MediaLAB:
    Development department for new Internet business models and platforms, which provide both national and international services for Ringier subsidiaries.
    Leadership: André Maerz, divisional management member for New Media
  3. Media Sales:
    Ringier is constructing a central marketing unit for Ringier’s Internet-pool products.
    Objectives in this area are to further optimize cooperation with mediators and agencies, as well as the further development of forms of online advertising.
    Leadership as of 1 November 2008: Ueli Weber, (previously web2com Managing Director and Managing Director of Electronic & Interactive for Publicitas Switzerland), member of the divisional management for New Media.

These newly created spheres support the company’s strategy for growth in the digital market.

As of 1 October, the current head for the readership sector Magazines, Dietrich Berg, is newly publishing head of the platform CASH. He is accountable for the commercial responsibility of all CASH media and reports directly to Christoph Bauer. Bauer retains the overall management of the CASH group. Dietrich Berg is with the CASH group and responsible for the further development of the first integrated media company in Switzerland.

Magazines
Head of the customer contact center, Roland Kühne, has a dual function in the future: He continues to head the customer contact center and at the same time takes over leadership of the Magazines readership market from Dietrich Berg. The section Magazines is led by Urs Heller.

Ringier Romandie
Daniel Pillard, to date interim managing director for Switzerland, hands over business to Marc Walder and, as member of the new management, takes up his accustomed position with the section Ringier Romandie and leadership thereof.

Blick-Group
Beniamino Esposito changes after five years as advertising head of the magazine sector to the Blick group and takes over from Martin Tamas as advertising head for newspapers. The departments editorial services, classified ads, online sales (blick.ch) and crossmedia are newly part of the Blick group and also the responsibility of Beniamino Esposito. As countermove, Martin Tamas takes over the advertising sector for magazines and in addition heads the new sphere International Sales (AIN). The sphere Blick group is led by Thomas Passen.

Communication Ringier Switzerland