Bauer CEO Paul Dykzeul: We’re not in trouble, we’re adjusting
Over the last few months, Bauer Media has seen the departure of CEO Nick Chan, a major defamation lawsuit loss and the absorption of BauerWorks. So where is the company headed? Mumbrella’s Zoe Samios interviewed new CEO Paul Dykzeul to discuss his plans, the future of publishing, and why the Bauer family won’t sell.
Bauer Media’s new CEO Paul Dykzeul doesn’t care if people think he’s a “prick”. Instead, he says he’s passionate, knows what he is doing, and is here to change the business model.
The former Bauer New Zealand CEO, who joined the Australian arm in late June after the abrupt departure of Nick Chan, tells Mumbrella he hasn’t come to Australia to “manage the status quo”, but instead intends to implement change and “future-proof” the business.
New CEO Paul Dykzeul is ‘here to change things’
All the people who have been let go will be really happy to hear that they’re not in trouble. A few may even believe it………………..
Omnishambles
“Bauer never sell things. They don’t like selling things, and they are acquirers. They passionately believe they can fix things up.
Hmmm, they sold their entire outdoor division (Caravan World, CTA, Turu etc) heralding from the Trader business and allowed the staff to retain office space for months as part of the deal
Paul is referring to the Bauer family, they sell off smaller non core asset’s sure but longer turn they are buy/grow/retain known family
“Of course bits get sold, we have sold bits, but that’s usually because they strategically don’t fit with what they’re doing.”
ie not making money.
“If people think I’m a prick, if people think I’m an asshole, that’s fine. I can’t do anything about that.” Ummm yes you can. You can try being less of an arsehole.
A CEO of a major publishing company swears his way through an interview, pretending everything’s OK. Sad.
It’s not dead, it’s just sleeping!
Just when thought Bauer may have hit rock bottom along comes this bloke and he’s struck sand. Keep digging I guess. Gotta be rock eventually.
Yup, sure sounds like he’s got a solid plan there.
Reminds me of Ronny Cox in Robocop
“I’m sure it’s only a glitch. A temporary setback.”
Just a flesh wound….
Suggest this could be part of the theme song for Bauer, what with all those years of experience being shown the door – and definitely neither a prick nor an arsehole.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMpGdG27K9o
very apt! Live by the sword & die by the sword ….
Pretty certain this article doesn’t account for all who have/are heading out the door currently. What’s remarkable is when you turn the clock back to this time a year ago Bauer was spouting how they were relaunching their ‘to love’ product again whilst simultaneously waving goodbye to a lot of good people. Dykzeul gives the impression this has been about doing more with less never mind they spent insane money on the product in the beginning and left nothing to market it with. Whilst their online product is very very good they also need to re invest to make it somewhere people want to work again which will mean paying people what they’re worth as well as working on morale, and hiring enough of the right people who will actually sell Bauer’s commercial wares as opposed to leaning on rounds of drinks and lunches.
All going well to script- everyone knows they are in trouble so new CEO ( 9th in 10 years) comes in a does a media puff piece On how they are going to turn around the Queen Mary whilst not ‘exactly’ telling the truth. ( or all the remaining good staff would leave)
Pick the safest pair of hands of CEO until they sell, don’t rock the boat and don’t spend anything.
Next they will be telling us it’s all about delivering quality editorial content which coincidentally costs money to produce …
I wonder at what point will they admit that their digital strategy has been an unmitigated failure too?
Some of the best brands in the country and instead go with a ‘to love’ network which nobody knows !! Astounding
Investing in print magazines in the second decade of the 21st century is like investing in a horse and buggy franchise in the second decade of the 20th century.
Consumers are increasingly embracing the view; why would you buy one issue of a print magazine, when on an iPad, or similar device (the same size as said individual magazine), you can have 10,000 – 100,000 – magazines, just a click or a swipe away.
Successful business people identify and capitalize on irreversible trends. They don’t operate on nostalgia. Clinging to outdated business models will, sadly, be very costly indeed.