Friday, 4 July 2003
Fairfax Announces New Zealand Management Changes

Fairfax New Zealand Limited have announced changes to the management structure of the publishing assets purchased from INL this week.

Fairfax New Zealand Chief Executive Officer Brian Evans, formerly group general manager of Fairfax regional and community newspapers in Australia, announced the changes.

Peter O'Hara, formerly Group General Manager Newspapers for INL, has been appointed Chief Operating Officer and Editor-in-Chief of Fairfax New Zealand. He will deputise for the Chief Executive Officer.

Mr Evans said he was pleased to announce the appointment of Sandra King to the position of Group Sales and Marketing Manager. Sandra was previously General Manager at Pacific Magazines. She will join Fairfax New Zealand on August 11 and will be based in Auckland.

In a further move designed to strengthen the sales function, Christine Barker will take up the position of Group Call Centre Manager with Fairfax New Zealand in the near future. She held a similar position with Fairfax regional and community newspapers in Australia. Christine's speciality is inbound and outbound sales.

Mr Evans also announced that regional hubs will be established in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, where general managers will take on wider responsibilities for their regions. In Wellington and Christchurch this will include assuming responsibility for community newspapers, which had previously reported separately to the group head office.

Mr Evans said he expects to see benefits flowing to the group from synergies between community, regional and metropolitan newspapers and from other improvements across the group.

Barry Leitch will be Auckland general manager, holding responsibility for the distribution arm of Gordon and Gotch as well as his current responsibilities for Suburban Newspapers and the Wiri printing plant of Auckland Community Print.

Don Churchill will manage the lower North Island from his Wellington base, adding overall responsibility for community newspapers and the Manawatu Standard to his responsibility for the Dominion Post and its associated operations.

Chris Jagusch will manage the Canterbury region, adding overall responsibility for the suburban and community newspapers and the Timaru Herald to his responsibility for The Press in Christchurch.

Mr Evans will be based in Auckland, with Executive Assistant Maree Hodgkinson.

The Wellington head office will be managed by Mr O'Hara, and will include other group functions such as finance, headed by Chief Financial Officer Randall Burt.