Mark Hollands returns to lead The Newspaper Works
Hollands:
Less than a year after the merger of the Pacific Area Newspaper Association into Newspaper Works led to his departure, former PANPA boss Mark Hollands has returned to take the helm of the new organisation.
Current Newspaper Works boss Tony Hale has departed.
As well as speaking for the newspaper industry, Hollands will be tasked with delivering the long-delayed new readership system The Readership Works which has been in the pipeline for four years.
Hollands – who has written a novel during his break – was credited with saving PANPA in his previous stint. Hollands is a former foreign editor and technology editor of The Australian and was later the paper’s circulation manager. His digital experience includes GM of OzEmail in 1995 and MD of webstartup Beenz.com in 1998. He also spent two years as Asia Pacific sales director of Dow Jones.
Announcing Hollands’ appointment, Newspaper Works chairman and News Limited CEO Kim Williams said: “The Board is delighted that Mark has accepted the position of CEO of The Newspaper Works. He has a long record of achievement in the media sector and joins the organisation at a time rich with real opportunity as a result of the transformation of our sector.
“Mark will take the organisation forward at a time when media companies are investing in new relevant ways for the provision of journalism and a rich diversity of products from it.”
Williams added: “Mark will also oversee the introduction of our sector’s new readership measurement system – The Readership Works. It will provide advertisers with a much more accurate picture of what people are actually consuming across all platforms – print, online, smart phones and tablets.”
Hollands said in the announcement: “I am looking forward to the challenge. It is essential the sector has strong representation ensuring society values our products and understands the transformation that is blending valuable print assets with exciting new digital ventures and innovations in delivering refreshed offerings to a vast community of users.
“Journalism, product innovation and the needs of the customer are the foundations on which our industry will continue to thrive.”
Newspaperman Hollands’ appointment may signal a shift of strategy for Newspaper Works, whose board consists of the major newspaper publishers News Limited, Fairfax Media, APN and West Australian Newspapers. Previous boss Tony Hale, who launched Newspaper Works in 2006, came from an ad agency rather than newspaper background, including McCann Erickson and The Campaign Palace.
There was no explanation given in the announcement for Hale’s departure and he could not be reached for comment.
Williams said: “Tony has led The Newspaper Works through a period of great transformation for its publisher members. The members of The Newspaper Works acknowledge Tony’s energetic work and dedication.”
Hollands starts on Monday.
Tim Burrowes founded Mumbrella in 2008. He worked on Mumbrella until 2021. At various points he was editor, content director and editor-at-large.
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