|

Matthew Retires As Chief Executive Of IPC Ahead Of Floatation

Matthew Retires As Chief Executive Of IPC Ahead Of Floatation

Mike Matthew, chief executive of IPC Magazines, has announced that he intends to retire from the position before the end of the year, ahead of the group’s plans for a Stock Market floatation. Matthew leaves the company in December after seven years as chief executive and just two years after he successfully headed the £860 million management/venture capitalist buyout of the group from owners Reed Elsevier (see IPC Magazines Gains Independence).

Matthew will be replaced on 1 December by Sly Bailey, currently managing director of of IPC tx, the group’s television titles division. Bailey also has overall responsibility for corporate advertisement sales. Matthew will remain on the Board as deputy chairman after his retirement as chief executive.

Commenting on the changeover, group chairman David Arculus said: “Mike’s decision to retire now will give his successor time to establish herself in the job before the group’s planned floatation. Mike has made an enormous contribution to IPC’s development in his seven years as chief executive, and I am delighted that he will continue to serve the group as deputy chairman. I am very pleased to announce Sly Bailey’s appointment as his successor. [She] has the breadth of experience to be a highly effective leader of the whole group.”

Following the buy-out from Reed Elsevier, Matthew also instigated a restructuring of the group’s publishing division, creating IPC tx, IPC Connect, IPC SouthBank Publishing Company, IPC Country & Leisure Media and IPC Music & Sport (see IPC Unveils New Publishing Group Identities). In the latest consumer magazines circulation, for the January-June 1999 period, IPC’s portfolio recorded a slight overall year on year increase of 0.7%. This is despite heavy losses at its male lifestyle flagship title, Loaded.

IPC Magazines Circulations
Title Jan 98 – Jun 98 Jan 99 – Jun 99 Actual Change % Change
19 172,104 160,237 -11,867 -6.9
25 Beautiful Homes n/a 115,032 n/a n/a
Amateur Gardening 62,011 63,022 1,011 1.6
Amateur Photographer 27,128 28,579 1,451 5.3
Anglers Mail 42,001 42,173 172 0.4
Chat 482,143 502,364 20,221 4.2
Country Homes & Interiors 105,492 110,257 4,765 4.5
Country Life 45,367 45,484 117 0.3
Essentials 290,324 290,542 218 0.1
Expecting Our Baby 45,867 36,721 -9,146 -19.9
Family Circle 262,589 231,783 -30,806 -11.7
Golf Monthly 72,139 73,082 943 1.3
Homes & Gardens 173,546 168,732 -4,814 -2.8
Homes & Ideas 218,619 162,349 -56,270 -25.7
Horse & Hound 69,097 66,135 -2,962 -4.3
Ideal Home 208,480 237,734 29,254 14.0
Living etc n/a 87,822 n/a n/a
Loaded 456,373 384,351 -72,022 -15.8
Marie Claire 416,239 437,642 21,403 5.1
Melody Maker 40,017 34,068 -5,949 -14.9
Mizz 111,476 150,230 38,754 34.8
Muzik 42,034 43,501 1,467 3.5
New Musical Express 92,367 90,763 -1,604 -1.7
Now 306,501 386,383 79,882 26.1
Practical Parenting 78,818 81,215 2,397 3.0
Shoot 80,727 56,624 -24,103 -29.9
TV & Satellite Week 198,049 198,651 602 0.3
TV Times 835,560 825,760 -9,800 -1.2
Uncut 36,067 44,514 8,447 23.4
Whats On TV 1,750,167 1,813,784 63,617 3.6
Woman 692,491 686,169 -6,322 -0.9
Woman & Home 302,430 293,847 -8,583 -2.8
Woman’s Journal 128,656 103,209 -25,447 -19.8
Woman’s Own 653,432 597,179 -56,253 -8.6
Woman’s Realm 221,838 182,609 -39,229 -17.7
Woman’s Weekly 609,557 567,091 -42,466 -7.0
World Soccer 62,908 53,021 -9,887 -15.7
Your Garden 78,375 84,733 6,358 8.1
Total 9,470,989 9,537,392 66,403 0.7

IPC has also announced that Linda Lancaster-Gaye, managing director of women’s weeklies division IPC Connect, has been appointed to the IPC Group Board. Lancaster-Gaye has been at IPC since 1984 and has held the MD position at the women’s weeklies group since January last year.

Subscribers can access the Press database by selecting “Press” from the drop-down box at the top of this page.

IPC Magazines: 0171 261 6575

Media Jobs