IPC Picks McDevitt For Group Ad Director Role

Publishing heavyweight, IPC Media, has announced the appointment of Caroline McDevitt to the position of director of group advertising, reporting to CEO Sylvia Auton, she will be responsible for the company’s Central Sales teams from her start date on 3 May.

Amongst the divisions covered by her remit are IPC’s Business Development, Key Accounts, Innovator, Ad Marketing divisions and the regional sales team in Manchester. McDevitt will also be responsible for the IPC tx and IPC Connect group sales teams.

The new advertising boss has spent the last year consulting on “a range of media projects”, including a stint as a consultant to Walker Media. However, McDevitt’s most high-profile post, that of chief executive of BARB from 1998 until early 2004, stands her in good stead for a position with IPC.

She has also held positions as a main board director of WestCountry Television and has worked in various ITV companies running national sales teams and handling national and local advertising.

Commenting on the appointment, Sylvia Auton said: “Caroline is the ideal person to lead IPC Advertising at a time when clients and agencies are demanding more innovation and more creativity in our ad offering. She has the experience and track record to build on the proven success of IPC Advertising and to lead our team of highly regarded sales experts. I am delighted that Caroline is joining us.”

McDevitt added: “I am looking forward to joining IPC and to being part of such a successful media organisation at such a dynamic time for the magazine industry. IPC is at the forefront of creating magazines for today’s lifestyle in an increasingly competitive market and I have grown up with many of its iconic and diverse brands, such as Woman’s Own and NME.”

The appointment may signal an increased increase in multi-media advertising and cross-media campaigns, with McDevitt’s considerable experience outside of the print industry likely to prove an asset to IPC. She said: “Convergence of content and distribution within the various media sectors means that cross-discipline experience is a necessary ingredient in the recipe for success for any media organisation. I am looking forward to utilising my experience to benefit IPC’s portfolio of brands.”

Earlier this week saw IPC ignite! announce a restructuring of its advertising management team, designed to re-position its advertising business and optimise the potential of its brand portfolio. The move saw group ad director, Karl Marsden, taking on an expanded role as group commercial director, charged with overseeing some of the company’s flagship brands, such as Nuts, NME, nme.com, Loaded, Loaded Fashion and Uncut.

IPC Media: 0870 4445000 www.ipcmedia.com

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