IPC Restructures Specialist Group

IPC has said that it will be splitting its Specialist Group into two separate publishing arms following yesterday’s announcement that the company has been sold to a management buyout team (see yesterday’s IPC Magazines Gains Independence ).

The IPC Music & Sport Group will be headed by Andy McDuff, who becomes its managing director, and the IPC Country & Leisure Group will be managed by Sylvia Auton. She will also retain her new responsibility of new media publishing director. Both McDuff and Auton will report to chief executive Mike Matthew.

There are also three other major management changes announced. Linda Lancaster-Gaye has been appointed as managing director of the IPC Women’s Weeklies Group and Nigel Davidson, who announced his resignation last summer as group managing director of the Weeklies and SouthBank Groups (subscribers see Davidson Quits IPC), has now relinquished his day-to-day responsibilities. Meanwhile Sandy Whetton will be leaving IPC to take up a senior position at Reed Elsevier.

Commenting on the changes, Mike Matthew said: “At this time of momentous change, it is highly appropriate that we should announce these senior appointments which will make the management structure leaner, flatter and more responsive to our markets.”

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