Illawarra Mercury hires new general manager and new advertising manager
L to R: Corinne Whiteman and Lisa Rodgers. Photo by: Kirk Gilmour.
Fairfax Media newspaper The Illawarra Mercury has appointed a new general manager and new advertising manager. Corinne Whiteman takes the role of GM, replacing Peter Dehnert, and Lisa Rodgers replaces former display advertising manager Belinda Green, taking on extended duties.
The announcement:
The Illawarra region’s major news leader, the Illawarra Mercury, has announced the appointment of new general manager, Corinne Whiteman, and new advertising manager, Lisa Rodgers. Both Whiteman and Rodgers commenced their roles yesterday.
Whiteman is the Illawarra Mercury’s first female general manager and joins the masthead following its recent relocation to new open-plan premises located in the heart of the Wollongong CBD.
“There’s new energy at the Illawarra Mercury, which now boasts some of the best newsroom facilities of all our regional mastheads,” Fairfax’s regional general manager for Canberra, Illawarra and Fairfax Community Newspapers, Rod Tremayne, said. “We are excited to have Corinne leading our passionate group of staff at the Illawarra Mercury who are committed to serving the local community through the important work they do.”
Whiteman has a long-standing family connection to Wollongong where her grandparents and mother grew up.
Whiteman has a strong newspaper background as well as 16 years’ experience working in the commercial retail industry. Whiteman previously worked in the Fairfax Community Newspaper group as commercial manager for the south-west region of Sydney, an area covering communities such as Liverpool, Camden and Campbelltown.
“I’m excited to be leading the Illawarra Mercury at a time when media is embracing new and evolving platforms,” Whiteman said. “Our audiences are sophisticated and keen for news. We are focused on delivering the very best for them across all platforms and continuing our award-winning record. Last year for example, journalist Louise Turk was honoured in the Australian government’s National Youth Awards for her story on youth health services. There should be no doubt that the Illawarra Mercury has a strong future as we grow the masthead and continue with our involvement in the local community.”
New advertising manager, Lisa Rodgers, has previously held roles with News Limited’s CareerOne where she held a state management position and as a team manager at SEEK. She has experience across print, online and recruitment markets with a reputation for building strong relationships with clients to meet their business needs.
Rodgers said: “I am starting with the Illawarra Mercury at a very exciting time. Fairfax Marketing Services has launched so we can offer a complete suite of media productsplus a fast-growing mobile audience and more options online. Illawarra businesses have more choices than ever before.”
The Illawarra Mercury’s digital audience is growing at a rapid pace. Last month, the masthead received 3.61 million page views, up 46.5% on April 2013 (2.47 million). It had 370,787 unique visitors, up 64.9% on April 2013 (230,986).
“With Corinne’s strong print experience, Lisa’s extensive digital knowledge and staff now working in new premises, the Illawarra Mercury has a vibrant new team and a strong foundation for success,” said Rod Tremayne.
Source: Fairfax Media press release.
Great news. Congrats to Corinne. Wollongong’s lucky to have her. 🙂
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