Top 10
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POWERLIST 2008
10
ABIGAIL BLACKBURN
Editor, Now magazine
ABIGAIL BLACKBURN’S appointment BIGAIL BLACKBURN’S impressed IPC’s rivals and delighted the
as the editor of celebrity magazine Now publishing giant’s senior executives.
earlier this year showcased her as one of Just before these achievements,
the most upwardly mobile journalists in Abigail had been a star contributor to
Britain. As one of only a handful of black the Daily Mail’s Femail section and her
editors of major national publications, tenure at Reveal coincided with the high
Abigail is something of a rarity. point of the magazine’s fortunes. Much
She leads the 42-strong, award-winning of her reputation was forged in Australia
editorial team of what is one of the UK’s at publications such as TV Week, Vogue
best-loved and best-selling celebrity Living and New Woman.
weeklies. In addition to impressive sales She has given Now a complete revamp,
(470,000 a week) unique users of its introducing new sections and delivering a
website,
nowmagazine.co.uk, continue livelier feel.
to increase, having recently broken The celebrity women’s weekly
past the 500,000 mark, a sector-leading magazine market is one of the most
performance. competitive and it is hoped that the
Abigail, who holds joint British- changes she has made will take Now back
Australian citizenship, joined IPC Connect to the days when it was market leader.
in 2005 and was previously deputy editor Supporters say that one of the reasons
of the longstanding staple Woman; she had she stands a good chance of doing this is
helped to re-launch the title in 2006 and because, at 32, Abigail is the only editor
the energy and creativity she displayed in in the magazine’s history whose age
contributing to the success of the venture coincides with that of the average reader.
9
SONITA ALLEYNE
Co-Founder/ CEO Somethin’ Else Ltd
SONITA ALLEYNE is the co-founder and Women Business Owners, which gave her
chief executive of Somethin’ Else, the an Award for Excellence in 2000. A host
largest radio production company in of central government bodies (including
Britain, whose output is heard in over 60 the Culture and Creativity Forum, the
countries each week. Since she launched Department of Culture Media & Sport, the
Somethin’ Else, after being made redundant National Employment Panel and others)
by radio station JazzFM in 1991, Sonita have also appointed her to various
has become one of the most dynamic advisory boards and discussion forums
independent businesswomen in the over the years.
country. Yet she is by no means defi ned As well as developing programmes such
by her role at the helm of the burgeoning as the groundbreaking Let Freedom Ring
media giant. – narrated by Morgan Freeman – she has
Sonita is the very essence of the 21st set up the Somethin’ Else Education and
century businesswoman, placing herself Skills division, which focuses on projects
in the midst of the creative process and offering alternative educational curricula
deploying her fi nancial clout (for business for youngsters.
reasons we can’t say how much the Somethin’ Else’s successful
company is valued at) to encourage social diversifi cation into talent management,
progress, as well as keeping a fi rm hand on TV production and the consolidation of
the all-important bottom line. its reputation as a provider of audio and
This exciting template, which Sonita’s multi-media content, speaks volumes
emergence represents, has been recognised about Sonita’s unerring instinct for taking
by the European Federation of Black calculated risks.
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