Axel Springer Switzerland: Personnel changes at Beobachter and Program Media

Head of copywriting Mathias Neu (pictured above) has joined the editorial team of Axel Springer Switzerland's program media (Tele, TV Star, TV 2 and TV vier). The 49-year-old graduated from the University of Zurich in 1994 and taught Latin at Freudenberg High School for four years. After a one-year journalistic internship, he entered the publishing industry in 1999 as a copywriter/concept developer at Weka Verlag, Zurich. From 2002 Mathias Neu worked as a freelance copywriter, proofreader and PR editor and in 2004 joined TR7 (now TV-Star) as a proofreader.

Christof Auer is the new art director of the Beobachter. Over the past four years, the 35-year-old has been responsible for the visual appearance of Axel Springer Switzerland's four TV program guides as AD. Prior to that, his professional career took him through various positions at Stocks, Facts, Schweizer Familie and Tages-Anzeiger. Auer takes over from 40-year-old Doris Oberneder, who has led the Beobachter's layout and infographics team for the past three and a half years. Oberneder, who was also responsible for the relaunch of the magazine in spring 2009, left the Beobachter at the end of March to pursue new goals and projects.

Christof Auer's successor at Program Media will be his former deputy Nathalie Steiger. The 39-year-old began her professional career in 2002 as Creative Director at Dai in Zurich. She later worked for numerous advertising agencies, including Studer & Wohlgemuth and Advico Young & Rubicam. She entered the media world as a freelancer for "Gesundheit Sprechstunde". In 2005, Steiger joined the television magazine Tele, where she became deputy art director in 2007.