Back to the future

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If there were an Oscar for resurrection, it would go to Marc Walder. The Ringier CEO was recently under massive pressure because of his closeness to Berset, but on Wednesday he celebrated a brilliant comeback. The media conference, which was arranged at short notice, resembled a veritable state ceremony: with embargo periods and a lunch afterwards.

When Walder announced that Axel Springer was leaving romania rcs data Switzerland and that he was buying back 35 percent of the joint company, the message was clear: Ringier and its CEO should not be written off too soon, despite the difficulties at Blick TV and the ongoing investigation into the Berset case. In the age of digitalization, of which Walder is one of the spokesmen, Ringier is increasingly relying on the medium that originally made it big in its home market: the traditional "Heftli". Twenty titles, including the prestige papers Bilanz and Beobachter, are now in their sole ownership. Ringier now has almost an absolute magazine monopoly in Switzerland, which has even brought the Weko into action.

There was long speculation about a takeover of Ringier by the major German publisher, but now the opposite is happening: Ringier is driving Springer out of Switzerland. And this is happening shortly before Hamburg-based Jessica Peppel-Schulz takes office as the new CEO of local rival Tamedia. This is probably also made financially possible by the 25 percent stake held by the insurer Mobiliar, Walder's most lasting coup. Motto: If you want to be safe, choose insurance. "Dear Mobiliar," he must have thought, "how do I get Ringgi and Zofi back to the top?" The answer: Back to the future, with Swissness and paper.