IFRA

WAN-IFRA: How will your appointment, the first CEO of the combined association, and the experience you bring to the table help WAN-IFRA to serve its members and the industry?

CHRISTOPH RIESS: WAN and IFRA are brand names worldwide in the newspaper industry. So for me coming from the outside, I have the big advantage that I will look into all of the strengths of the two respective organisations. And I imagine that I will probably find some opportunities and strengths which were not perhaps easily seen by some in the organisation who have been here for many years. The combined associations are very complementary, not overlapping activities or cancelling each other out. So combining and leveraging the strengths of each will only multiply the positive effects for the entire industry.

WAN-IFRA: What is your immediate mission to make WAN-IFRA a stronger association for its members?

RIESS: My mission for our members, as well as internally for the association, will be to look at all the changes going on in the industry not just as challenges but also as opportunities. We should really make the most of all the hard work we have done in the past years, all that we have tried and tested, and really take advantage of the lessons learned – the successful ones and sometimes painful ones – and use them to position ourselves for the future. There are indeed challenges, but I believe there are a number of opportunities as well.

More about WAN-IFRA Magazine