Bauer executives persuaded to stay until after Emap sale

by John Reynolds, Media Week 04-Mar-08

It is claimed that soon-to-depart Bauer executives Dharmash Mistry and Mark Frith planned to leave Emap up to six months ago, but were persuaded to stay on until the company was sold to Bauer this year.

According to a former senior executive at the company, Mistry and Frith
- whose departures come at a critical juncture for Bauer Consumer Media
as it looks to establish itself in the UK market - were encouraged to

delay their departure. However, Bauer Consumer Media said there was no

truth in the claims.

Frith, the editor-in-chief of celebrity weekly Heat, announced his
departure last week.

As revealed exclusively on www.mediaweek.co.uk, the exit of Mistry,
director of Bauer Consumer Media and Bauer Performance, was also
confirmed last week.

In addition, Nial Ferguson, deputy managing director of the firm's men's
lifestyle division, is also leaving to join rival Future as group
publisher of gadget brand T3.

One former Emap executive believes the timing of the exits is not
unconnected with Bauer's £1.1bn acquisition of Emap's publishing
and radio arm.

He said: "The departures are the inevitable result of people
incentivised to stay at the company until after the Bauer takeover."

The source claimed that Frith and Mistry were persuaded to delay their
departures. "Heat was responsible for almost a quarter of Emap's profits
and for Mark to leave while the company was up for sale would have been
inconceivable."

Future-bound Nial Ferguson, while not wanting to be drawn on the
departures of Frith and Mistry, denies that he was incentivised to stay
on.

Press buyers said it was inevitable that the sale of Emap's publishing
operation to Bauer would prompt high-profile departures. Several sources
predicted that Anthony Noguera, the editor-in-chief of FHM, might be
next to leave the company. Bauer Consumer Media would not comment.

One press buyer said: "It does not matter what company you are in,
people will look at leaving if the firm you work for is being sold."

James Carter, director at Factory Media and a former Emap employee,
said: "I am surprised by some departures, but less so by others. Since
the inception of Emap Advertising in 2000, there has always been a
niggling irritation within the publishing and editorial teams that the
structure hasn't optimised the performance of the business."