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Quantum Media, Paris, Hired by OECD

Chris Fodor
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Chris_Fodor_associateChris is an agent of globalization in print publishing worldwide. He contributes over 20 years of professional experience in magazine, newspaper and book publishing. He has worked on publishing projects in 25 countries on 4 continents and has been based in Hamburg, Paris, New York, Milan and Beijing. His strengths are in marketing and new business development, with an ability to cross cultural divides in order to spot market opportunities and lead successful projects around the world.

Chris is the founder and editor-in-chief of GO magazine, a monthly management magazine targeted at young professionals and business school students. GO launched in the UAE (Dubai) in October 2006, as a joint venture with CPI, a well-established local publisher. GO launched in India in October 2007, as a joint venture with Images Multimedia. Both editions are in English. Further editions are planned for the future, namely in the Far East. See www.go-magazine.biz for further details.

As one of Quantum Media’s antennae in Europe, Chris also maintains limited activities as an independent consultant. His consulting work follows two principal axes. On one hand, projects for certain clients (New York Times, RCS Rizzoli Group) involve international licensing and development, namely in Asia, the Middle East and Central Europe. On the other hand, other projects deal with circulation and marketing development. Clients here include Wine Spectator, Aperture, the OECD, Cartier Art, Spiegel Verlag, Deutsche Post, Fortune/Time and others.

In magazine publishing, Chris worked for Gruner + Jahr and RCS Rizzoli, mostly on new business development, but also general management namely for international projects and subsidiaries. Chris also held operational positions in circulation management, in marketing and in strategic planning.

Before joining Quantum Media, Chris was Managing Director of the north Asia subsidiary of RCS Rizzoli, with responsibility for China, Korea and Japan. He oversaw the launch of a popular science monthly, the acquisition of 50% of an upscale Korean women’s magazine publisher, and the licensing of various Rizzoli magazines in Japan.

In magazine publishing, Chris had overall responsibility for Rizzoli’s international magazine operations (85 titles in 9 countries), including the management of existing activities, new business development and strategic planning, and overall financial responsibility for the international department. For G+J - USA, Chris worked in circulation and strategic planning, namely for the launch of a monthly and for several planned acquisitions. For G+J in Paris, as assistant to the president, Chris was product manager for the launch of the weekly Voici and helped establish the UK subsidiary.

In newspaper publishing (Milan), Chris covered strategic planning and business development for Corriere della Sera and La Gazzetta dello Sport. Within two years, he developed brand extensions with revenues of $10 million and 30% margins.

In book publishing, Chris was marketing director for Rizzoli Book Publishing in NYC.

In a prior life, Chris worked as transportation planner and systems analyst on World Bank-funded projects in Senegal, Togo, Nigeria and Algeria.

Chris received an MBA from Stanford University and a BS in civil engineering from MIT. Chris is currently based in Paris, France. He speaks four languages fluently.

Quantum Highlights

Quantum Media, Paris, Hired by OECD

OECD Conference Center

The OECD headquarters in Paris' posh 16th arrondissement are a mixture of old and new. The 19th century Chateau de la Muette witnessed the signing of the Marshall Plan. The recent reconstruction of a neighboring 1970s office building yielded an eye-catching set of conference rooms designed by IM Pei, where policy makers and businessmen from the 30 OECD member countries - and beyond - gather to discuss the hot OECD issues in trade, taxation, energy, transport, agriculture and more.

The hot issue for Rory Clarke, the editor in chief of the OECD Observer, the organization's bimonthly magazine in English and French, was finding a new company to replace his long-standing publishing partner.

Rory turned to Quantum Media's Paris branch, which quickly identified some global ad sales representatives and editorial partners. The main responsibility was advertising sales, the lifeblood of the magazine, although paid subscriptions to corporations, governments, research centers and universities around the world add butter to the spinach.

Mediaside was quickly set up as the new operating partner, and the speed enabled the OECD to produce its planned issue on the MENA countries in time for a large ministerial conference in Marrakech, Morocco.

Quantum Media is now busy expanding the magazine's traditional advertising reach. The OECD Observer is expected to generate more ad revenue in 2010 than it did for all of 2008 and 2009 combined. The team is also working on the monetization of the Observer websites, which capture over 350,000 monthly page-views. Further projects in book licensing and events are also underway.

Proof that Quantum Media sets itself apart from other consultants by providing the strategic thinking and then acting on it.