Surprise surprisingly releases managing director
The street magazine *Surprise* is currently facing tough times: The nonprofit organization that took over *Surprise* in early 2007 is parting ways with Managing Director Michele Alvaro effective immediately.
A rough wind is currently blowing at the street magazine Surprise: the sponsoring association, which took over Surprise at the beginning of 2007, is parting company with Managing Director Michele Alvaro with immediate effect. As the news agency Sda reports, the dismissal comes as a surprise to him. Differences over the realignment of the project are said to be responsible for this step. The President of the association, Hans Ulrich Kunz, is now taking over the management on an interim basis. The association has owned Surprise since the beginning of the year. Previously, the company was owned by three shareholders, including Alvaro with a 40% share. At that time, the association only held a 10% share. After a pioneering phase, the sponsoring association now wants to turn Surprise into a professionally managed SME that is self-supporting. Alvaro is accused, among other things, of not being able to eliminate the structural deficit and having to cover it with donations. In order to achieve the new goals, Kunz plans to broaden the target audience and expand the sales area. He also wants to improve the earning potential of Surprise sellers and the social support they offer to help them return to work. Surprise went public last fall with a call for help. After the street magazine threatened to close down for financial reasons, around 1 million Swiss francs flowed into the magazine's donation account.
