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September 7, 2009

Emap CEO’s memo to staff on Middelboe departure

By Oliver Luft

Press Gazette revealed on Friday that Simon Middelboe, chief executive of Emap’s business magazine division – Emap Inform, was to leave the company. Here’s Emap chief executive David Gilbertson’s memo to staff about the departure:

Staff Announcement:

As we continue to manage the effects of recession I want to ensure we reduce as far as possible the overhead burden on our operating divisions.

This is so we can continue to invest in product and revenue growth while keeping our running costs sensibly tight.

Accordingly, I have decided to take the opportunity to remove a layer of senior management in Emap Inform and take a more direct role in the leadership of the division myself.

This will reduce the senior management costs borne by Inform at a time of what we all know is considerable revenue pressure.

It will also shorten the communication lines between Inform and Emap central and I hope facilitate collaboration between Inform and the rest of the business at the same time.

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Regrettably as a result of this change Simon Middelboe will be leaving the business at the end of this week.

He goes with my thanks and best wishes for all he has done for Emap not only in the last 18 months but over more than 25 years. His contribution to this business is well known and appreciated by the very many people who have worked with him over that time.

I would like to make clear that this change is not related to performance…Rather, this change is designed to ensure we continue to hold that advantage by eliminating cost duplication wherever we can, building our revenue base and exploiting our strengths across the group still more systematically.

I very much look forward to working with the Inform team to build its commercial position through the intelligent implementation of the new strategy which Simon has helped develop and begun to put in place and which I have no doubt at all is the correct one to ensure our future success.

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