While it would be mad to describe Associated Newspapers as a company in crisis, such is its manage- ment's paranoid dedication to delivering positive results that every slight blip is treated with deadly seriousness.
The latest blip, following circulation downturns at the paid-for editions of the Evening Standard and even the seemingly untouchable Daily Mail, was contained in the Daily Mail and General Trust interim results. Profits at Associated fell by 拢1.7 million to 拢48.5 million for the six months to 3 April.
Associated blamed rising newsprint prices but also said that "the period was tough for most national newspapers' circulation". It argued that the Mail's 2 per cent fall in circulation was less serious than those of its rivals but its editor, Paul Dacre, and managing director, Guy Zitter, will be determined to halt this decline.
Whatever you say about Zitter, he can't be described as complacent. Last year, needing a fresh challenge on top of his Mail role, Zitter was handed the additional post of group commercial director (among other things, Associated was worried about declining circulations in London - partly owing to the success of its own freesheet Metro - and charged Zitter with addressing this).
Zitter has also been looking into ways in which Associated's Kensington-based titles (the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday and the Evening Standard) can work more closely together in the face of a tough climate for circulation and ad revenue. However, Associated remains committed to its "silo" system of operating each title as a separate business unit with its own managing director and sales force.
Last week, Zitter hired Linda Grant, the former Metro marketing director, to the new role of group marketing services director. Her role is threefold - manage Associated's creative services and research departments, and develop a third revenue stream beyond cover-price and advertising.
Zitter heard impressive stories about Grant's research-oriented work at Metro and her ability to transcend the usual research-wonk territory to create propositions that sell brands and bring in revenue. Describing her as a "great catch", he says: "I'm delighted we have managed to persuade Linda to come back. We already know her from the superb work she did on Metro and the experience she has had at Capital will prove invaluable in developing our 'enterprise' operation and driving profit."
Grant, a tough but likeable Scot, had all her strength tested during her last few months at Capital Radio, where she was the managing director of its national commercial division. Following the announcement of Capital's plans to merge with its rival GWR last September, it became clear that her future was in question as a result of the carve-up of senior roles between the two companies.
So, Grant has had a few weeks to kill since leaving the broadcaster in April. Since then, she has been relaxing at home and expending energy on long cycle rides. She's also a mover in industry circles, via her membership of WACL.
Linda Smith, Capital's commercial director, says Grant's departure from Capital was no reflection of her ability. "She's one of the most talented people I've worked with. Associated have taken her back and you don't do that if somebody is anything less than excellent."
Smith says Grant's strategic approach is her major asset: "She's a very considered, deep thinker and will always work to find a solution. She's also very pragmatic, so is great at bringing teams together."
Grant is looking forward to returning to work after the uncertainty at Capital, but managed to remain stoical during her last few months there: "When I was at Capital, I was still focused on the job, so there wasn't much time to think about what to do next. But after I left, I took my time and didn't take the first thing that came along."
The big challenge for Grant will be cutting it at the coalface of the main Associated office, ruled by a coterie of men seemingly driven by a combination of testosterone and sharp golf handicaps. Doubters suggest that despite her time at Metro, a younger brand driven by research, Grant could struggle with this.
Yet Smith says Grant will provide a good balance at Associated: "She won't fire from the hip and you never see her storm around the office. She keeps her emotions under control and will be good in meetings that go pear-shaped, because she's very intuitive."
Grant sees her key challenges as building on Associated's group research function to make it a more strategic, planning-led unit, and developing the new revenue streams. Zitter talks of the need to create more inspired reader offers across the titles.
Grant says: "Associated has the benefit of circulation and ad revenues but there's a need to future-proof the business, to create new revenue streams from a wealth of customer touch-points. The brands have a loyal and responsive audience, so it's working out how the brands can serve bigger parts."
The greatest barriers to achieving this may lurk within Asso-ciated's structure, but Grant is convinced that Zitter and Associated's managing director, Kevin Beatty, are committed to change. In Grant, they have hired a bright thinker who has won respect in each of her previous jobs. If she can make money for Associated, the pattern will continue.
THE LOWDOWN
Age: 38
Lives: Chiswick
Family: Partner, two sisters and a brother
Most treasured possession: My house
Describe yourself in three words: Work in progress
Interests outside work: Running, cycling, skiing
Living person you most admire: Nelson Mandela
Alternative career: Geologist or actress