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News Works restructure ups the commercial focus

As news of APN NZ’s decision to sell off a few of its regional assets surfaced yesterday, news also surfaced about changes at News Works New Zealand, the umbrella organisation responsible for profiling the industry’s print and digital brands, which has restructured to create a more commercial focus to better promote its 30 national and regional news brands across the country. 

From January 2013, chief executive Tim Pankhurst moves into a part-time advisory role specifically focused on editorial matters, which he will pursue alongside a complementary role as general manager of the Communications and Media Industry Training Organisation (CMITO) and Print NZ. He will continue to be heavily involved in the Media Freedom Committee and run the Canon Media Awards (check out his opinions on the state of the industry here).

“Tim is one of New Zealand’s most pre-eminent and respected editors with a 34 year history in the newspaper industry,” says Michael Muir, chairman of the Newspaper Publishers Association (NPA). “He’s led three daily newspapers over the past 14 years and has made a significant contribution to industry advocacy in his role as chief executive. We are very pleased to have Tim’s ongoing support and be able to tap into his expertise in editorial matters relating to the newspaper industry.”

Current business and marketing manager Jenny Stiles moves into an executive director role to oversee and develop the Newspaper Publishers Association’s commercial entities, including News Works, the Print Copyright Authority (PMCA), News Quest and Media Com. 

“Jenny’s expertise spans senior market research and advertising agency roles, as well as a ten year stint as marketing director for News Works shareholders APN and Fairfax Sundays, as well as DDB NZ. She brings a strong commercial focus to the direction of News Works and alongside Tim, we’re confident we have the right people in place for News Works to evolve with our rapidly changing industry,” says Muir.

But wait, there’s more. 

Julie Rutledge has moved into the newly created role of newspaper business development manager, with a focus on developing and promoting the regional newspaper offering to the market; Sarah Purdy, who has previously worked in events, sponsorship and marketing industry roles over the past ten years and was most recently at APN’s NZ Magazines, joins News Works as marketing manager; Nick Campbell, fresh from the UK where he worked for Telegraph Media Group and Guardian News & Media, also joins News Works as research and insights manager to deliver strategic business insights to assist advertisers and agencies to get the most from their spend across multiple media platforms; and Georgina Davies takes on an additional portfolio as industry marketing co-ordinator to help manage News Works’ emerging social media channels (Facebook, Linked In) and upcoming digital campaigns.

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