Touchline Media shapes up for future growth

Under Sports will go Sports Illustrated, The Wisden Cricketer, Golf Digest, Kick-Off, On Target, Man of the Match and Atoll Media. Healthy Lifestyle incorporates Men's Health, Men's Health Living, Shape, Fit Pregnancy, Discovery, Runner's World and Bicycling.

Comments Touchline Media CEO and MD, Marc Blachowitz, "The aim of the restructuring is to create additional capacity to develop and grow talent. We are confident that this new structure will greatly enhance our ability to realise our aggressive long-term growth plans and strategies. As always, it's Onwards and Upwards for Touchline Media."

Two publishing directors

Two publishing directors have been appointed to manage the two magazine divisions. Andrew Sneddon will oversee the Healthy Lifestyle division while Nic Wides will head the Sporting division.

Wides started at Touchline Media as SA Sports Illustrated's marketing manager and then moved to the advertising department. He steadily moved through the ranks from marketing manager to advertising manager to associate publisher and then publisher. He was then appointed as executive director (business) in December 2002 and will continue in this role in addition to his new duties.

Sneddon was appointed as an executive director of Touchline Media as of 1 October 2005. He joined Touchline Media in May 1997 as marketing manager for Men's Health. Three years later he was promoted to associate publisher for the magazine and thereafter publisher.

Securing new opportunities

Paul Ingpen will assume the role of business development manager, a position created to enable Touchline Media to capitalise and secure new opportunities both specialist and contract publishing.

Ingpen has years of publishing knowledge, and was instrumental in launching Bicycling into the South African market. He also led the Runner's' World and Golf Digest teams for many years.