Head of the week: The doer
With her one-woman agency for media projects, Christa Löpfe has found the perfect balance between challenge and job satisfaction.
Christa Löpfe
has found an ideal balance between challenge and enjoyment of her work with her one-woman agency for media projects.
Has she ever regretted quitting Annabelle? The former editor-in-chief has had to endure this question countless times over the last three years. "Colleagues in particular were pretty uncomprehending. Nobody wanted to believe that you would give up a position like that of your own free will," muses Christa Löpfe: No, she has not regretted it. And: the dropout is now back in business. She has just designed a new customer magazine for Toyota.
Löpfe did not take the decision to leave Annabelle lightly. The process took six months. "I was pretty torn, because Annabelle was my child and the editorial team was my family. You don't leave something like that overnight." But she wanted "tabula rasa". First to go through the divorce peacefully. Then the resignation. Finally, sell the apartment. And then go on a big trip around the world?
"No. I hate traveling. I experience my adventures in my head," she says. So her departure ultimately turned into a journey to herself. "I wanted to take time for that. And it was worth it."
Christa Löpfe enjoyed this search for almost two years. And occasionally endured it. Suddenly there were so many opportunities. But none of the several job offers convinced her. She realized that she could no longer stand certain things. Like certain managers, for example. She laughs. In this sense, she is "extremely grateful" to Martin Kall for her new path. "Although it was never actually part of my life plan to become self-employed one day."
What did she no longer like about being an employee?
"I felt like a fir tree that had been moved to the desert, or a palm tree that you want to have at 3,000 meters. There's nothing wrong with the desert and nothing wrong with 3,000 meters. But it just doesn't fit together." Christa Löpfe realized that she "doesn't want to live" in this new culture that Martin Kall has introduced at Tamedia.
As editor-in-chief, she achieved a turnaround at Annabelle after the magazine had been in the red for years. Within a year, Löpfe was in the black and was able to maintain this for five years. This naturally resulted in a relationship of trust under the then CEO Michel Favre. "I missed that later on. Because trust is essential in a job like this." She cannot work creatively in a climate of mistrust and control.
For the turnaround, Löpfe "got to the root of the problems". She created "a good foundation" and changed the entire editorial infrastructure, introduced budget responsibility for the department heads, reorganized the sales organization as well as the technical and editorial workflows. Annabelle was also "redesigned and reorganized". The women's magazine, one third of which is also read by men, won its first journalism prize during Löpfe's time. "We have been taken seriously again by good authors."
Such results made her work fun, as Löpfe has always preferred to be an editor and manager at the same time. "I need a lot of leeway and freedom to make decisions. But in return, I also take responsibility." The current specialist for media projects has always been interested in the economic and organizational aspects just as much as in editing. "You can't have one without the other two."
She has learned this with a CV that has taken her through all areas of the media.
Christa Löpfe grew up in Glarus and moved to Zurich to study graphic design at the School of Applied Arts. She worked in advertising agencies for three years. There she received an offer from the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper in 1983. She was asked to take over the art direction for the new magazine Voilà, which was aimed at young women. This was her first managerial position with a leadership role, and Löpfe realized: "This is my world."
After Voilà, she realized her first new concept for the Beobachter. "All exciting times, because something was always changing."
The next stop was the publishing department of Ringier Print. There, Löpfe won the customer magazine for Amag. She later worked for Thomas Trüb on the development of various projects in what was then Czechoslovakia. Ringier launched Blesk, the Czech Blick, as well as Bilanz.
Löpfe commuted between Prague and Zurich, where she had her small office in a back room of the Cash editorial office, "a broom closet behind the reception desk". But she was very close to the editorial team. And so, "almost as a neighbor", she was commissioned to work with Hanspeter Peyer on the first major relaunch of Cash.
In the editorial office, Löpfe was actually only supposed to introduce the new concept. But she liked it so much on the editorial team that she stayed for seven years. After a few months, the art director was appointed to the senior editorial team. She was now Head of Production with a team of 23 people. "For the first time in my life, I had budget responsibility." Acting as a link between people and tasks gives her the greatest satisfaction.
She finally topped this experience in 1999 when she was appointed to Annabelle.
The former graphic designer turned editor-in-chief never had any additional training. "It was all learning by doing." Nor did she attend any management courses. "I had a lot of miserable bosses, from whom I learned one thing above all: I don't want to do it like that."
As her own boss, Christa Löpfe now allows herself to select her work according to three criteria. Firstly, a project has to be fun, secondly, it has to make sense and thirdly, it has to bring in the necessary money. "Otherwise, I work without much planning. I've always let everything come to me in my life." This is also how her first contact with Toyota came about by chance. Last year, Karl Lüönd was in the USA. He therefore asked Löpfe to represent him at an important Toyota meeting: It was about the 40th anniversary of the dealership. At this meeting, it became clear that although Karl Lüönd's anniversary book "Intelligence on Wheels" was available as a text manuscript, the book had to be completed within just four weeks. Löpfe solved the problem immediately and, together with AZ Verlag, also produced an anniversary newspaper.
Other projects that Löpfe has implemented include: Developing and implementing styling principles for Swiss television presenters, revamping a women's magazine in Vietnam and helping to design the lifestyle section of a newspaper. Another major project was the repositioning of the Coop newspaper, in which she was involved as a consultant.
And now Toyota: Löpfe is responsible for implementing the new concept of its biannual customer magazine, which was approved by GD Philipp Rhomberg: Project management, editor-in-chief, production - Christa Löpfe has always enjoyed "reorganization and development" the most.
Andreas Panzeri
has found an ideal balance between challenge and enjoyment of her work with her one-woman agency for media projects.
Has she ever regretted quitting Annabelle? The former editor-in-chief has had to endure this question countless times over the last three years. "Colleagues in particular were pretty uncomprehending. Nobody wanted to believe that you would give up a position like that of your own free will," muses Christa Löpfe: No, she has not regretted it. And: the dropout is now back in business. She has just designed a new customer magazine for Toyota.
Löpfe did not take the decision to leave Annabelle lightly. The process took six months. "I was pretty torn, because Annabelle was my child and the editorial team was my family. You don't leave something like that overnight." But she wanted "tabula rasa". First to go through the divorce peacefully. Then the resignation. Finally, sell the apartment. And then go on a big trip around the world?
"No. I hate traveling. I experience my adventures in my head," she says. So her departure ultimately turned into a journey to herself. "I wanted to take time for that. And it was worth it."
Christa Löpfe enjoyed this search for almost two years. And occasionally endured it. Suddenly there were so many opportunities. But none of the several job offers convinced her. She realized that she could no longer stand certain things. Like certain managers, for example. She laughs. In this sense, she is "extremely grateful" to Martin Kall for her new path. "Although it was never actually part of my life plan to become self-employed one day."
What did she no longer like about being an employee?
"I felt like a fir tree that had been moved to the desert, or a palm tree that you want to have at 3,000 meters. There's nothing wrong with the desert and nothing wrong with 3,000 meters. But it just doesn't fit together." Christa Löpfe realized that she "doesn't want to live" in this new culture that Martin Kall has introduced at Tamedia.
As editor-in-chief, she achieved a turnaround at Annabelle after the magazine had been in the red for years. Within a year, Löpfe was in the black and was able to maintain this for five years. This naturally resulted in a relationship of trust under the then CEO Michel Favre. "I missed that later on. Because trust is essential in a job like this." She cannot work creatively in a climate of mistrust and control.
For the turnaround, Löpfe "got to the root of the problems". She created "a good foundation" and changed the entire editorial infrastructure, introduced budget responsibility for the department heads, reorganized the sales organization as well as the technical and editorial workflows. Annabelle was also "redesigned and reorganized". The women's magazine, one third of which is also read by men, won its first journalism prize during Löpfe's time. "We have been taken seriously again by good authors."
Such results made her work fun, as Löpfe has always preferred to be an editor and manager at the same time. "I need a lot of leeway and freedom to make decisions. But in return, I also take responsibility." The current specialist for media projects has always been interested in the economic and organizational aspects just as much as in editing. "You can't have one without the other two."
She has learned this with a CV that has taken her through all areas of the media.
Christa Löpfe grew up in Glarus and moved to Zurich to study graphic design at the School of Applied Arts. She worked in advertising agencies for three years. There she received an offer from the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper in 1983. She was asked to take over the art direction for the new magazine Voilà, which was aimed at young women. This was her first managerial position with a leadership role, and Löpfe realized: "This is my world."
After Voilà, she realized her first new concept for the Beobachter. "All exciting times, because something was always changing."
The next stop was the publishing department of Ringier Print. There, Löpfe won the customer magazine for Amag. She later worked for Thomas Trüb on the development of various projects in what was then Czechoslovakia. Ringier launched Blesk, the Czech Blick, as well as Bilanz.
Löpfe commuted between Prague and Zurich, where she had her small office in a back room of the Cash editorial office, "a broom closet behind the reception desk". But she was very close to the editorial team. And so, "almost as a neighbor", she was commissioned to work with Hanspeter Peyer on the first major relaunch of Cash.
In the editorial office, Löpfe was actually only supposed to introduce the new concept. But she liked it so much on the editorial team that she stayed for seven years. After a few months, the art director was appointed to the senior editorial team. She was now Head of Production with a team of 23 people. "For the first time in my life, I had budget responsibility." Acting as a link between people and tasks gives her the greatest satisfaction.
She finally topped this experience in 1999 when she was appointed to Annabelle.
The former graphic designer turned editor-in-chief never had any additional training. "It was all learning by doing." Nor did she attend any management courses. "I had a lot of miserable bosses, from whom I learned one thing above all: I don't want to do it like that."
As her own boss, Christa Löpfe now allows herself to select her work according to three criteria. Firstly, a project has to be fun, secondly, it has to make sense and thirdly, it has to bring in the necessary money. "Otherwise, I work without much planning. I've always let everything come to me in my life." This is also how her first contact with Toyota came about by chance. Last year, Karl Lüönd was in the USA. He therefore asked Löpfe to represent him at an important Toyota meeting: It was about the 40th anniversary of the dealership. At this meeting, it became clear that although Karl Lüönd's anniversary book "Intelligence on Wheels" was available as a text manuscript, the book had to be completed within just four weeks. Löpfe solved the problem immediately and, together with AZ Verlag, also produced an anniversary newspaper.
Other projects that Löpfe has implemented include: Developing and implementing styling principles for Swiss television presenters, revamping a women's magazine in Vietnam and helping to design the lifestyle section of a newspaper. Another major project was the repositioning of the Coop newspaper, in which she was involved as a consultant.
And now Toyota: Löpfe is responsible for implementing the new concept of its biannual customer magazine, which was approved by GD Philipp Rhomberg: Project management, editor-in-chief, production - Christa Löpfe has always enjoyed "reorganization and development" the most.
Andreas Panzeri
