Nathalie Wappler Hagen elected SRF Director

After careful consideration, the SRG SSR Board of Directors unanimously accepted the proposal of the SRG Deutschschweiz Regional Executive Board, SRG Board of Directors Chairman Jean-Michel Cina told the media. "She is the right person for this challenging leadership task." Wappler convinced the members of the committee in the nomination process with, among other things, her many years of experience in the media business, her strategic competence as well as analytical thinking and leadership skills, said Andreas Schefer, President of SRG Deutschschweiz and SRG Board of Directors member. In addition, she shares the attitude and values of the media company, is very well networked both nationally and internationally, and has held her own in a difficult media environment.

Wappler prevailed against numerous competitors: The longlist of 40 people at the beginning of July was reduced to a shortlist of eight - the majority of whom were people from outside SRF. In the end, a trio remained, with the 50-year-old standing out "clearly as the best and most suitable person," as Schefer said. Diverse challenges await The current program director at Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR) will take over her new role in spring 2019 from Ruedi Matter, who will leave office in March. Wappler will have until then to familiarize herself alongside Matter, SRG Director General Gilles Marchand said. The exact modalities would be determined in the coming days.

According to Marchand, Wappler will not lack a variety of challenges, because "SRG is going through a trend-setting phase". He is convinced that her experience, expertise and knowledge of Swiss conditions will be of great benefit.

The SRF director-designate was "delighted" about her election and spoke of a privilege. Among other things, she said, she wants to sharpen the public service even more and emphasize SRF's unique selling point more strongly compared to private media. "We want to show what service public and quality journalism mean," she said. In doing so, the public service should also be lived internally. In addition, they would have to become more efficient in existing processes.

Former SRF head of culture

The former SRF culture director was elected MDR program director in May 2016. From November 2016, Wappler was responsible for TV, radio and online programming at MDR in the areas of culture, youth, education and knowledge. She started her professional career in 1996 as an editor at the 3sat format "Kulturzeit." She then worked for "aspekte" and "Berlin Mitte" at ZDF, among others.

In 2005, Wappler had joined Swiss Television, where she first worked as "Kulturplatz" editor and producer and, from 2008, as "Sternstunden" editorial director. In 2011, she became head of SRF's culture department. Wappler also served on SRF's executive board. At SRF, she worked in the early years as editor and producer of the weekly magazine "Kulturplatz" and as editorial director and discussion leader of the three-hour program "Sternstunden," among other positions.

Wappler was born in St. Gallen in 1968. She completed her studies in history, art history, political science and German language and literature at the University of Constance in the 1990s with a Master of Arts degree. Studies abroad took her to the University of Bristol in Great Britain and to Stanford University in California. (SDA)

Image: obs/SRG SSR/Mirco Rederlechner