James Thomson to edit BRW; Joanne Gray to edit Boss
The new publisher of BRW Amanda Gome is to be reunited with former Private Media colleague James Thomson after he was appointed the magazine’s new editor. Meanwhile, the Australian Financial Review’s Boss magazine is to have a new editor and deputy editor.
Gome was ousted as CEO of Private Media, which publishes titles including SmartCompany and Crikey, in September. She was quickly hired as publisher inside Fairfax Media’s Financial Review Group.
Thomson is one of the first major hirings since Gome came on board. He will take the reins from BRW editor Kate Mills, who will stay with the company in a yet-to-be-announced role.
Meanwhile, the Australian Financial Review’s Boss magazine is to have a new editor and deputy editor.
Thomson is a former BRW Rich 200 editor. He was publisher of Private Media’s SmartCompany, StartUp Smart, Property Observer and LeadingCompany. He was also conversation editor at Business Spectator.
As Mumbrella has previously reported, also joining the group in a senior role is James Frost as editor of Financial Review Smart Investor. Both Frost and Thomson will start in January, a few weeks before BRW relaunches its digital strategy.
Brett Clegg, CEO of FRG, said: “The Financial Review Group is moving very quickly to develop leading digital publications. In the past few months we have recruited Amanda Gome and James Frost who both have extensive digital media knowledge. Now we are delighted to welcome James Thomson back to BRW to help shape its digital future.”
Thomson will report to Gome, who is publisher of BRW, Smart Investor and Asset. She said: “James brings the best of both worlds. He has deep knowledge of the BRW audience, in particular its wealth franchise and he has excellent online skills and experience as an online editor.”
Clegg said, “These appointments are a reflection of our determination to build world class digital publications for our readers and advertisers while still producing leading print publications. BRW will be launching its new website and app for iPad at the end of January. Smart Investor will launch its new website and app in the first half of 2013.”
He added: “I would like to pay tribute to Kate who has made a major contribution to the magazine and will stay with the group in a senior role.”
In a separate announcement, Clegg said that the AFR’s magazine Boss will be edited by Joanne Gray, whose previous roles include managing editor of AsiaMoney magazine and most recently opinion editor for the Financial Review.
Fairfax also confirmed speculation from earlier in the week that Boss editor Narelle Hooper would depart. Also leaving is deputy editor Catherine Fox.
Clegg said: “Jo is a class act. She’s smart, sophisticated, highly business literate and a great journalist. She will put her own stamp on BOSS while maintaining its great traditions and identity.”
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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Kate Mills was doing an outstanding job. This is pathetic.
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nothing on Narelle? she’s done a great job and should be acknowledged.
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Narelle Hooper and Catherine Fox have taken redundancy of their own volition.
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Fairfax is a bloody disgrace, and I doubt whether management actually knows what it is doing. They have shafted most of their newsroom who have taken expensive voluntary and forced redundancies only to go on expensive hiring sprees in other publishing houses…Fairfax’s digital strategy has been an epic fail and the appointment of Gome, Frost and Thomson based on their “extensive digital media knowledge” is laughable. My three year old child has more digital media knowledge than anyone at Fairfax, including the latest hires.
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Boss would have to be the most boring, dull, mundane magazine ever. It desperately needs a makeover.
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Madeleine. I think you might not be interested in business management
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James will be a great asset to BRW.
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