Eric Gujer becomes Editor-in-Chief of the NZZ

Together, Gujer, Müller, and Zielina will form the new NZZ executive board, according to a statement.

Eric Gujer, the current head of foreign operations, will take over the post with immediate effect, the NZZ Media Group announced on Wednesday. He succeeds Markus Spillmann, who stepped down at the end of 2014. Gujer has been with the NZZ for nearly 30 years. In 1986, he started as an intern and freelancer. Later, he reported from abroad: among other things, he was a correspondent for the GDR and also reported for some time from Moscow. Born in Zurich, Gujer studied history, political science and Slavic studies at the universities of Freiburg im Breisgau and Cologne. According to the statement, he is an expert on the EU, Germany, Eastern Europe and the Middle East. He has also made a name for himself as an expert on international strategic issues and terrorism, among other things. Eric Gujer has headed the foreign affairs department since 2013. His current appointment was made with the involvement of management and editorial representatives, the statement said. Since Spillmann's departure, a three-person committee had led the editorial team on an interim basis.

During the discussion about Spillmann's successor, unpleasant side noises had arisen when it became known that the NZZ board of directors had set its sights on Markus Somm, the publisher and editor-in-chief of the Basler Zeitung. For many, Somm, who is close to the SVP, was unthinkable as editor-in-chief of the NZZ, which is clearly affiliated with the FDP.

Trio forms editor-in-chief

The entire new NZZ Editorial Board comprises three people: Eric Gujer, Felix E. Müller and Anita Zielina. Müller, born in 1951, is editor-in-chief of the NZZ am Sonntag. His responsibilities will be expanded and upgraded, according to the announcement: He is now a member of the Executive Board and additionally responsible for all magazines and periodicals. Zielina was deputy editor-in-chief of Stern Online in 2013/2014. The online journalist will be editor-in-chief of New Products at NZZ from the beginning of May. Zielina was born in Vienna in 1980, where she also studied law and political science.

According to the announcement, Gujer will be responsible for the journalistic guidelines of the NZZ and the associated products under the NZZ brand. Müller is responsible for the journalistic direction of NZZ am Sonntag as well as NZZ's existing and planned magazines and periodicals. Zielina's responsibilities include existing platforms such as NZZ.ch and the Austrian offering NZZ.at, as well as the conception and implementation of new
Products. (SDA)