Mark Thomas. Editor, Liverpool Daily Post. Free copy distribution has increased over the year as paid-for sales slipped further to under 15,000 copies. However the increase in readership has been accompanied by increased investment in business, sport, magazines and special publications. The paper’s total circulation may now be just 22,000 but the title remains the undisputed daily read among Liverpool's professional classes. The shift of printing to Oldham and rumours about the paper’s future intentions will challenge him next year.

 

Rob Morrice. Managing director IAS. Having sold his Scottish PR agency to Media Square, he subsequently relocated to Macclesfield. This year his PR agency has been spun off under separate management and Morrice has also been given responsibility for the larger IAS B2B agency. With 65 staff and c£6m revenues, the agency still claims to be the biggest purely B2B agency in the UK. Morrice has been open about his desire to buy or open in London.

 

Roger Phillips. BBC Merseyside. The award-winning anchorman of BBC Radio Merseyside with his noon to 2pm show still commands top ratings at what is the  BBC's most successful local radio station in terms of market share (16.4%) and over 360,00 listeners...despite the arrival of Bauer's all talk station City Talk. His network and contact book on Merseyside is legendary.

 

 

Jim Jones. Publisher, the Farmers Guardian. The FG competes with the Farmer’s Weekly for the title of Britain’s top farming magazine. The publication and its various spin-offs including Dairy Farmer magazine and an information-led website, is a subsidiary of United Business Media. Based in Preston, Jones oversees what is in reality a hugely influential operation in the UK employing 80 plus staff and one of the very few national media operations not run from London.

 

Nick Howe. Managing director, Uniform. The founder of Liverpool's leading design agency. Howe's 10 year old agency has enjoyed a strong year with turnover climbing above £1m and staff increasing from 16 to 24. One of only six North West design agencies ranked in Design Week's Top 100 UK agencies and the only one based on Merseyside. Clients include Sony, Grosvenor and Minerva plc.

 

Steve Brauner. Editor, Crain's Manchester Business. Launched the US-owned weekly business title last December. The former editor of Insider and the North West Evening Mail and business and assistant editor of the Daily Post, has built what is widely credited as the leading business publication in the region. The paper has been dogged for much of the year by a widespread debate relating to its robustly expensive ad rate policy but a recent thawing has led to more visible results on the page.

 

Gordon Warrender. Managing director, PSCA. Led an MBO from the Newcastle-under-Lyme publishing company's founder Darren Wilson and private equity house Aberdeen in June. The company employs 100 plus staff across three offices in Newcastle, Birmingham and its largest in Manchester. The company’s sales of £9m are derived primarily from contract titles and events with a focus on the public sector.

 

Simon Reynolds. Editor, Lancashire Evening Post. Circulation has dipped by 7.7% year on year to 29,716 - a slightly bigger decline than the average for regional dailies. Reynolds is a big fan of digital (in 2006 the LEP became the UK’s first ‘fully-converged’ news operation) and 'reverse publishing' - taking different content from websites and publishing in newsprint and correspondingly much of the investment at his title has been in the digital arena.

 

Richard Veal. MD, New Mind.  One of the very few remaining survivors of the original dot.com boom. His Liverpool digital agency now employs over 50 staff and claims sales of c£4m. A dozen staff are based in Romania and came with the earlier demise of Amaze. The agency appears reinvigorated with new clients including the School of Tropical Medicine and the Tall Ships race but it is in digital tourism initiatives where the agency is scoring nationally with proprietary software and tourism websites for Liverpool, Bristol, Bath and Brighton among others.

 

Andrew Fickling. Chief executive, Sport Media Group. The 35 year old publisher of the Sport and Sunday Sport and various other on and offline media was listed by the Sunday Times as one of its 40 under 40 in the UK media world. SMG's increasing push into digital and mobile technology was balanced by the acquisition of Flip Media, the publisher of Front and Hotdog magazines. Has overseen various changes in operational management at the two Sport titles following relaunches. Fickling believes the shares are oversold as he has recently been a substantial buyer of the AIM-listed shares

 

Matthew Johnson. Chairman, Mando Group. Founder of one of Liverpool's 'big three' digital agencies. Serial entrepreneur John Moon has joined the board. A successful year for the agency with new clients including Places for People, Hill Dickinson and United Utilities complementing existing clients Liverpool 08, the BBC, Mersey Travel and Royal Liver insurance. Approaching 40 staff.

 

Nick Turner. Head of digital content development, CN Group. Turner's continuing rise up the digital pole goes up another notch in November when he is due to join the board of the Society of Editors.  Previously deputy editor of the group’s News and Star and Cumberland News. He was with the News and Star when it became the first regional paper to introduce bloggers to its online edition securing the title a Press Gazette award. He is also a regular collaborator with UCLan and its Digital Editors Network.

 

Andy Carter. North West regional managing director, GMG Radio. Succeeded Roy Bennett as regional MD in January when he relocated from Wales. The three stations under his guidance are Century, Rock and Smooth. Smooth and Century, with respectively 720,000 and 680,000 listeners are the North West's biggest radio stations and he has been closely involved with new promotional initiatives for both stations. The growing relationship with GMG’s other regional interests will require careful management.

 

Tony Foggett. Managing director, Code Computerlove. A(nother) highly successful year for the co-founder of the region's most successful digital agency. New clients include Butlins and, arguably one of the media world's biggest names, newscientist.com. In January, trade magazine Revolution named Code one of the top 10 digital agencies in the UK and in April the agency scooped the digital agency of the year category at the How-Do Awards. Managing growth, retaining staff and raising the bar yet further is required as some of Code’s competitors are starting to catch up. Will McCanns’ shilling interest them next year?

 

Rob Irvine. Editor, Daily Post Wales. Problems are affecting all regional papers but Irvine is sitting relatively pretty atop the market leader among morning papers in North Wales with daily sales just shy of 36,000 – a yearly decline of around 4%, less than average. In addition to editing, he is also publishing director of Trinity in North Wales and as a digital enthusiast he has also overseen the launch of a new Welsh language website plus other niche websites targeting tourism and entertainment. In his spare time, he is also believed to be preparing a strategy report on TMNW’s operations.

 

Sandra Tinker. Regional director of sales, News International. Tinker oversees a team of 20 generating sales of circa £40m across the Midlands and North, selling print and digital space on a range of titles from the Times and Sunday Times to the Sun, NOTW and the London Paper. Has previously held senior roles in radio and at independent sales houses. Not one to naturally publicise herself, she commands substantial respect from agencies and her peers.

 

Ruth Spratt.  Managing director, MEN Media (from January). Spratt is currently digital and broadcast director of GMG regional media having previously held positions in the print, broadcast and digital operations of the company.  She will succeed Mark Rix, current MD in January next year when he moves to Dubai. In addition to the MEN and all the weeklies, Channel m, leafleting and digital will come under her guidance. Spratt’s star is expected to shine even more brightly once she has assumed control.

 

Liz Page. Northern region managing director, Archant Life. The former journalist’s portfolio of a dozen plus titles includes Cheshire and Lancashire Life. This year has seen further investment in spin-out products and new titles focusing on fashion, weddings and events. She also oversaw the launch of a new lifestyle publication in April covering the North East and the acquisition of Wedding Link in Macclesfield. In contrast to newspapers, Archant’s Life division continues to prosper and the Northern region is the division’s leading cash generator.

 

Anthony Gay. Station director, Rock FM. Former programme director of Key 103 in Manchester, he moved up to Preston in Aug 2006 to take responsibility for the station and Bauer’s other central Lancs interest Magic 999. Rock has increased its market share this year and now reaches just under 300,000 listeners.  The former presenter (under a pseudonym of Anthony Williams) has decided to take a sabbatical and go travelling so don’t expect to see him until the New Year.

 

Neil Benson. Editorial director, Trinity Mirror Regionals. Now back in Chester overseeing editorial development at the UK's largest regional publisher after a spell fire fighting in Birmingham. Although there is a dedicated digital director in London, Benson is tasked with a broader role although increasingly this reverts back to digital interests. The race into digital is leading to some interesting initiatives across his patch such as in the North East where half a dozen new free newspapers have been established capitalising on the content culled from a number of new 'ultra local' websites Trinity has launched.

 

Jonathan Lee. Editor, North West Evening Mail. 40 year old Lee became editor in March this year of the circa 18,000 circulation Barrow daily following the departure of Steve Brauner to Crain's last November. Has previously worked at the Westmorland Gazette and the Blackpool Gazette but immediately prior to the NWEM was editor of the award-winning weekly the Shetland Times, although his final days there were overshadowed by controversy.

 

 

Ben Casey. Managing director, The Chase. Co-founder of what is still arguably the region's best known design agency. Now owned by the AIM-listed marketing services group Hasgrove, Casey owns 4.8% of the plc's equity. The loss of the company's long-established Co-operative business two years ago caused problems but Chase seems to have found itself again with a clutch of high profile new account gains and is back to around 40 staff - the same as at its peak a few years ago – and turnover just under £3m.

 

Paul Harris.  'Mr' Jewish Telegraph. Harris is the owner, publisher and editor of the family-owned company whose newspaper still commands market leadership in Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds and Glasgow. Each city has its own edition of what is now the UK's only regional Jewish newspaper. Paul and Vivienne Harris' operation in North Manchester employs almost 30 staff and exerts a disproportionately large influence for its size.

 

Paul Yates. Managing director, Just Search. Sold (together with his brother Justin who was sales director) his search engine optimisation business to a Swedish company last October for £8m plus. Has remained with the Adlington-based company and growth has continued at a clip - as has the rate of staff defections says the word on the streets. Further overseas offices are being opened but Cheshire remains the company's HQ. Earlier this year, he started diversifying when he invested a 'significant amount’ in a Macclesfield-based promotional goods supplier Promotions81.

 

David Croft. Regional sales director, ITV regions. A tough year for Croft as ITV battles economic and structural viewing challenges. His team of 85 sales people selling to clients and advertisers outside London has remained constant but collectively their sales have slipped from £250m to £240m which, according to media agencies, is a remarkable achievement in the circumstances. He is though no longer also the MD of Yorkshire TV, that disappeared when ITV got rid of the role of its regional MDs in the spring.

Alistair Sim. Managing director, LOVE. A mostly good year for the boss of the region's trendiest agency. The agency found a new creative head in Darren Hughes but the spin-off agency twodays closed before it really got going. New clients including Carrier travel added to further projects for Dr Martens, STA, Christian Aid, Warburton’s, Nando's and a major pan-European campaign for Sony PSP. The loss of the £2m Yorkshire Tea account was a blow but the agency seems to be ending the year on another high overall – helped no doubt by the agency scooping How-Do’s Design Consultancy of the Year Award in April….

 

Martin Regan. Editorial director, Excel Publications. In addition to co-owning the company - which is chaired by Autotrader founder Pat Quinn - with partner Pat Rafter, Regan has taken back responsibility for editing monthly business title EN following the departure of the previous editor Mike Fahy to Crain's as deputy editor. Excel, with 160 staff, claims to be the biggest independent publishing company in the North of England. In common with others, digital and events are being chased and when not Excelling he’s believed to be starting a chain of sweet shops.

 

Tony Ingham. Managing director, IPB Communications. Ingham's six year old agency focuses on public sector consultation, a specialism usually the preserve of London agencies or economic consultancies. The agency employs 14 staff but its c£2.8m turnover makes it one of the largest PR agencies in the region by sales – if not the largest. Ingham, a former Piccadilly Radio programme director, cut his teeth in PR working with Phil Staniforth.

 

Antony Utley. Managing director, Cosgrove Hall. A year of mixed fortunes for Utley. Responding to challenging times, staff numbers have fallen sharply from 70 full time to around 30 but the greater emphasis on contract staff means up to 100 people can be working at the studios at any one time. New productions include Squidge and Hard Nuts and Cosgrove was one of just five Euro animation companies nominated for the Cartoon Tributes annual festival in Germany. New productions of Roary The Racing Car, Postman Pat and Fifi have maintained the company as one of Europe's largest animation centres.

 

Rod Hyde. Chief executive, Hasgrove plc. Recent figures at the ambitious listed marketing services company showed turnover reached £16m for the six months to June and profits rising to £1.98m. Hyde owns 3.2% of the equity. A busy period for Hyde. Acquired Amaze from administration, together with digital agencies Pavilion and Odyssey for £13m. A rebrand of the agencies including Connectpoint under the Amaze banner is imminent. And then Hyde and his colleagues plan to start creating a second agency network.

 

Mark Radcliffe. Radio DJ and presenter. Arguably the male equivalent of Jenni Murray – i.e. the best known national male radio presenter living in the region. His self-effacing manner came across clearly in his acceptance speech for the Personality of the Year category at the How-Do Awards in April. Turned 50 this year.
 

 

Paul Wheeler. Managing partner, Mediacom North. The region's second largest media agency has circa £110m of sales and employs over 50 staff. Wheeler has done his dues on the regional media buying scene and can now afford to relax a little more following the completion of his earn out from the earlier sale of the agency to Mediacom. Major new clients include £9m Wesleysan Assurance and £18 Homeform. Elsewhere several MEN new launches and initiatives have also kept them busy.
 

 

Sean Marley. Managing director, Lime Pictures. Marley runs the commercial side of the Liverpool-based business – the UK's biggest regional indie - and the business is flourishing. Staff numbers are up from last year's 340 to over 400. Hollyoaks and new national and international commissions together with growth at the digital arm, Conker Media, help compensate for the impending loss of Grange Hill.
 

 

Alice Morrison. Chief executive, Northwest Vision & Media. Having successfully overseen the merger/transition/expansion into NWV&M, she has been busy signing up some big names to strengthen her management team. A recently signed new contract with the NWDA will see the organisation becoming the RCO for digital and media across the North West. A move to the MediaCity complex next spring should help consolidate her powerbase further.
 

 

Joseph Kelly. Publisher, Gabriel Communications. The features editor on the Universe just a dozen or so years ago is today the publisher of a Manchester-based publisher whose products include three national Catholic newspapers and magazines, an extremely successful website Totally Catholic and a range of specialist publications including the definitive Who's Who of worldwide Catholics.