Chris Duncan, CEO of Bauer Media’s UK publishing business, is leaving the company.
Duncan, who joined in 2020, will be succeeded by current UK group managing directors Helen Morris and Steve Prentice as co-CEOs. Duncan will step down later this year.
In their new roles, Morris will be responsible for content, while Prentice will oversee operations, including advertising.
Morris joined Bauer in 2005 and Prentice returned to the company in 2021, having previously spent 15 years at Bauer.
Duncan said: “It’s been a pleasure to work with Jan and the other leaders across the business, particularly in the last year, where we have collaborated so closely to define the best strategy for the future of our publishing business in the UK and internationally.
“All of this has been made possible by the brilliant talent in our UK leadership team and I’m delighted to hand the reigns of our print business over to Helen and Steve, who I know will ensure Bauer’s print business goes from strength to strength.”
Meanwhile, as Bauer seeks to expand its digital reach, it is merging all digital parts of its global publishing into one unit.
The new division will be led by Stefan Betzold as chief product marketing officer, Walther Steinhuber as chief product and technology officer and Jan Rudolph as chief content officer, digital.
Betzold, Steinhuber and Rudolph will work closely with UK head of digital Charlie Calton-Watson but report directly to Jan Wachtel, president of Bauer’s global publishing business.
Wachtel said: “Due to our localised structure, we are currently not making full use of our digital expertise. By merging the divisions, we will unlock new opportunities and better utilise Bauer Media Group’s international scale.”
