Lord Rothermere (pictured), the great-grandson of the UK’s Daily Mail newspaper’s founder and chair of media and global events group DMGT, is to take charge of DMGT at end of the month. The move comes after he had taken the company private when it was delisted in January following an estimated £2.4bn buyout deal.
Rothermere Continuation Limited (RCL) announced, 22 September, that it had decided to make changes to the composition of the DMGT Board. The move means that Paul Zwillenberg, DMGT's CEO, who has run the group since 2016, will be stepping down from both the Board and his role as Group CEO on 30 September.
RCL said the decision comes after “the successful implementation of a strategy Paul put in place on his arrival to create financial flexibility, focus the portfolio and improve operational performance, culminating with DMGT being acquired by RCL at the end of 2021 and subsequently delisted.”
Lord Rothermere said: “DMGT has been transformed under Paul’s leadership, setting the business up for an exciting future on our own terms. The fact he leaves behind a portfolio consisting only of market-leading businesses run by exceptional talent is testament to the integrity, vision and skill he brought to the role. I am immensely grateful to him for everything he has done over his six and a half years as CEO, as a partner and as a friend. “
“The needs of DMGT are different to what they previously were with the size of the Group now much smaller,” Lord Rothermere added. “Moving forward, I will be taking on the role of chairman and chief executive of the company. Working directly with the leaders of DMGT to progress our strategy and make the most of the opportunities that lie ahead.
“I am grateful to say that both Paul Zwillenberg and Tim Collier are staying on as Senior Advisors to DMGT to help guide us through this transition.”
Zwillenberg said: “I am immensely proud of what we have achieved for the company, the Rothermere family and shareholders. DMGT is an exceptional business with exceptional people. It has been my greatest privilege to have served as CEO and to have played a small part in DMGT’s remarkable story.”
dmg events is a wholly owned subsidiary of DMGT and runs trade shows including ADIPEC in Abu Dhabi, International Pipeline Expo, FIND – Design Fair Asia and The Big 5 Construct shows.
