NZZ CEO Felix Graf is Media Manager of the Year
Felix Graf, CEO of Neue Zürcher Zeitung, has been named Media Manager of the Year by the industry magazine Schweizer Journalist:in. "The NZZ's successful course with a focus on journalism and its expansion into Germany clearly bears the signature of Felix Graf," said Editor-in-Chief Marcus Hebein, explaining the decision.
Graf has headed the NZZ since 2018, joining Falkenstrasse from the Axpo Group Executive Board. His companions describe him as a "top manager without a hidden agenda", who is also characterized by the fact that he is also interested in the often laborious implementation of ideas and details.
In the interview in the current issue of Swiss journalist:in Graf comments, among other things, on the future of the NZZ on Sundaywhich is undergoing an "important transformation towards digitalization". In the print sector, NZZ is experiencing "like all other media companies, a noticeable, structurally induced outflow of customers", says Graf. Measures are needed on the revenue and cost side, and individual departments are also being merged.
In Germany, the NZZ now has around 50,000 subscribers. The organization in Berlin comprises around 20 people and was already profitable after the second year. "Switzerland will always remain our core market. If we manage to generate a third of our turnover from other markets in the future, that will be good," says Graf, who also discussed the collaboration with Editor-in-Chief Eric Gujer in the interview. It took some time to build up mutual respect, as Graf himself emphasizes. "But today we work closely and well together," says Graf.
The "Media Manager of the Year" award is presented by the Swiss journalist:in annually to an executive in Swiss media management whose work promotes the basis for journalism and thus makes an important contribution to society.
The previous Swiss Media Managers of the Year
- 2006 Peter Wanner, AZ Medien
- 2007 Théo Bouchat, Edipresse
- 2008 Ralph Büchi, Springer
- 2009 Pietro Supino / Martin Kall, Tamedia
- 2010 Valérie Boagno, Le Temps
- 2011 Albert Polo Stäheli, NZZ Group
- 2012 Christoph Bauer, AZ Medien
- 2013 Norbert Neininger, Schaffhauser Nachrichten
- 2014 Michael Ringier, Ringier
- 2015 Marcel Kohler, 20 minutes
- 2016 Christoph Tonini, Tamedia
- 2017 Dominik Kaiser, TV 3+
- 2018 Peter Wanner, CH Media
- 2019 Simonetta Sommaruga, Media Minister
- 2020 Nathalie Wappler, SRF
- 2021 Miriam Walther, Republic of
- 2022 Axel Wüstmann, CH Media
- 2023 Felix Graf, NZZ
