SEE ALSO: Q+A with CEO John French
In a move the company says makes it and its products more transparent to customers, Cygnus Business Media announced to staff today a plan for a new corporate “architecture” around four affinity groups: Aviation, Public Safety & Security, Building & Construction and Agriculture. The aim of the changes, the company says, is to build a framework that is better equipped to handle market dynamics and more effectively execute media strategies.
Cygnus will roll out each new group separately over the next 18 months, the company says. Each will be headed by an executive vice president who will act as a point person for Cygnus in their particular market, overseeing sales, content and market for their brands.
“Simply stated, this new structure will ensure the most comprehensive audience engagement model in the industries we serve,” says CEO John French.
The first group will be Aviation, which includes Airport Business, AMT, Ground Support, the AMT Society, the Aviation Industry Expo and all associated Web sites. Pat Nadler, who has served as vice president of business development, has been named executive vice president, overseeing Aviation.
“We think that we’re in a position to bring everything together under one EVP,” French tells FOLIO:. “That person is going to spend every day thinking about what’s going on in their marketplace and not be constrained by platform.”
French says “about a handful” of Cygnus’ properties are not expected to be grouped into any of the four portals. However, he says no layoffs are expected as a result of the organizational changes.
New Branding
In addition to the organizational changes, Cygnus has unveiled a new corporate logo [pictured above] and a new tagline: “Because the world is changing very fast.”
“The world is changing very fast and our company is changing very fast,” French says. “We’re going to stake our claim on that tagline.”
