Taking the editorial wheel
Sinead Boucher will replace Paul Thompson as group executive editor for Fairfax New Zealand from 2 September. Boucher began as a Christchurch Press reporter in 1993, spending six years with the title before becoming a digital journalist for FT.com.
She played a key role in developing Stuff’s mobile apps, Stuff Nation and Essential Mums and also introduced video, data journalism and a social media strategy to the business.
Thompson is heading to Radio New Zealand.
Out for parternships
The Herald reports Bryce Johns has taken up the newly-created role of editor for content partnerships at APN, designed to bring editorial operations, advertising and marketing closer together.
He’s been Herald on Sunday editor for three years and before that did a seven year stint as Waikato Times editor. No replacement has been announced for the Herald on Sunday editorship.
Tech savvy
Fairfax’s Ad Network has recruited Rebecca Saunders as a digital specialist – she’ll move into the role after nearly two and a half years at Mi9. She was the lead account manager for Microsoft’s Media Network there, helping launch the network last year.
Yardley hearts travel
Veteran broadcaster Mike Yardley has jetted into the online editor’s chair at Fortheloveoftravel.net.nz. He spent 20 years as a Newstalk ZB host and stepped down late last year. Yardley’s awards include a Gold Medal for Best News Coverage at the New York Festivals and he’s won Talkback Host of the Year at the New Zealand Radio Awards.
Other new additions to For the Love of Travel’s online editorial team are aviation journalist Grayson Ottaway and Trish Johansen. Ottaway will contribute aircraft and aviation articles including writing For the Love of Travel’s aviation blog.
Queenstown journo Trish Johansen, a family travel specialist, will also write for it regularly.
Creme of the crop
Creme’s new editor is Kristina Rapley, who fills the big sneakers vacated by Alice O’Connell. Rapley was most recently a writer for Lucky Break magazine. O’Connell, meanwhile, is taking up the commercial lifestyle editor post at New Zealand Woman’s Weekly.
Virtual architect
Simon Sievert has been appointed digital architect at DraftFCB. He’s been director of interaction there for the past five years and was involved in its Journal for the National Depression initiative and the Electricity Authority’s What’s My Number campaign.
All aboard Hotwire
PR and comms agency Hotwire has brought on its first two advisory board members – Paul Hewlett and Roger Payne (pictured below).
Hewlett is an independent consultant and has been a business and political journalist, a press secretary in the Office of the New Zealand Prime Minister, and a public affairs consultant in New Zealand, Australia and Southeast Asia. He has advised clients such as the University of Waikato Management School and The Warehouse Group and is also a founding shareholder and advisor to transportation technology company Eroad.
Payne enjoyed over 35 years in the IT and telecommunications industry in technical, sales, management and executive leadership positions in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. He retired from global telecommunications company AT&T in May 2011 following 12 successful years leading the New Zealand business, and prior to that held a number of senior positions at Datacom, including that of executive group director.
Researchers come together
Research bodies the Market Research Society and the Association of Market Research Organisations have come together, saying the town isn’t big enough for both of them.
“We feel that we can function more effectively as an industry organisation if we are able to bring together the companies both large and small as well as the various bodies that have a stake in the industry’s future success. The intention is to evolve the research industry organisations to encompass a much broader range of researchers, suppliers to research, customers and the wider market intelligence community together under one banner,” says Spencer Willis, president of the Market Research Society.”
The yet-to-be-named organisation is set to launch early next year.
