Michele Smith, the editor and a curvy woman herself, says, "Statistics show that only about 8% of the women seen in magazines match that of our population, so there is a definite need for a magazine catering for the curvy women.
"Being a plus size woman myself, I have realised that fashion features in regular magazines don't appeal to me. Seeing someone my own size, in a fashion feature, would definitely make me realise just how good that particular outfit could look on me, making me wanting to go out and buy it."
The magazine refuses to use models smaller than a size 14, to fulfil its mission of showing readers that they can be beautiful by embracing who they are. The magazine is aimed at the growing proportion of the female population, one area that, to date, magazine publishers have inexplicably failed to fill.
It is a glamour magazine and will include articles on favourite topics such as fashion, cooking and lifestyle, without filling pages with dieting gimmicks known not work but rather focusing on fitness and healthy eating for the curvy woman.
Mike Monk takes the wheel as editor, after serving as contributing editor and Tristan Wiggill has joined the team as deputy editor of Automobil, the Retail Motor Industry (RMI) publication.
Monk has a long history as a motoring journalist and was associate editor of Car magazine for almost two decades. He has long had an interest in the retail aspect of the industry and is excited at the platform the magazine offers for helping business and further promoting the causes under the RMI umbrella.
Wiggill, a skilled photographer and journalist, was previously deputy editor of Autolive, an online business-to-business automotive publication and before that was a journalist with Autodealer.
Agri Connect, as a subsidiary company of the Milk Producers' Organisation (MPO), is the agricultural media and publishing company producing niche magazines for agriculture such as the Dairy Mail, Red Meat/Rooivleis and Wildlife Ranching.
Erika Alberts, appointed as its new managing director on 1 June 2011, has brought more than 20 years' media experience to focus on the needs of segmented audiences in the agricultural industry with a strong focus on content.
In 2002, she earned her MBA from the University of Wales (UK) focusing on the opportunities afforded to broadcasting and media by new digital technologies and regulations. She most recently held senior management positions as publishing director at PURE Publishing & Design and publisher at New Media.
She also previously held the positions of head of business: consumer magazines and digital publishing at AVUSA Media; business strategist at Welcome Msomi Gateway; director of communication and information technology at ITAC; commissioning editor at SABC; and head of production at M-Net.
"Delivery of content will be anchored by custom magazines and optimised across various delivery platforms, inclusive of digital. The company offers the expertise to bring brands to life, using all possible touch points to ensure an effective total customer experience journey," said Alberts.
Alberts announced the appointment of Liza Bohlmann to the position of editor of the magazine, The Dairy Mail and Retha Fourie as editor of Red Meat/Rooivleis magazine, effective September 1, 2011.
As a specialist agricultural reporter and photojournalist, Bohlmann covered agriculture in depth during her tenure as senior journalist at Agri Connect. In 2010 she received the International Federation for Agricultural Journalists' Alltech Young Leaders Award and bursary.
Fourie has enjoyed a successful career at Agri Connect as both reporter and features editor. For the past 21 years she has been a journalist at the SABC, Beeld, AgriTV and regional press in Gauteng and Limpopo, focusing on political and agricultural matters.
