Centaur hires first woman CEO

Centaur Media, the firm behind Marketing Week and Econsultancy, has appointed its first woman chief executive – former music industry boss Andria Vidler – and has seen off a bid from former boss Geoff Wilmot to buy the business.
The appointment of Vidler, previously chief executive of EMI Music UK & Ireland, is being seen in some circles as a major coup, although she has no experience of business publishing.
While at EMI, she overhauled the business into a global rights management enterprise, joining from Bauer Media, wheres she built the media group’s consumer magazine and radio brands. She has also held several senior roles at the BBC and Capital Radio.
Vidler will join on November 4, replacing interim CEO Mark Kerswell; he will revert to his previous role as group finance director.
Centaur chief executive Patrick Taylor said: “She also has substantial expertise in transforming and growing established brands that are being challenged by pressures of the digital age.”
Although Vidler is not the first woman to join Centaur’s board – former publishing directors Annie Swift and Libby Child had already held senior roles at the company – the chief executive role has always been held by a man.
The move coincides with reports that former boss Wilmot – who was ousted earlier this year following a profits warning – has this week abandoned a bid for the company.
It is claimed that Wilmot and his backers had vastly undervalued the business and were unable to agree a price for Centaur with the company’s board.

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