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Stevie Spring's inbox has been filling up with messages from well-wishing friends over the past few days, congratulating her on her new role as chief executive of Future.

Probably none packed quite the punch though, of the congratulations from David Hepworth, the man who founded Development Hell and The Word and who, more to the point, beat Spring into second place in last year's Battle of the Mediums (sic) at Media 360, convincing a room-full of media bods that magazines trumped outdoor as the medium du jour.

"I e-mailed him back and said that, having convinced me that publishing is the medium of the future, where else could I go but Future Publishing?" quips the former head of outdoor giant, Clear Channel UK. "Plus, I don't like coming second, so the only way to come first was by crossing the divide."

It's a flippant excuse for why she has ended up at the special interest publisher, but after four months of fielding offers from a barrage of agencies, media owners and venture capitalists, it beat "eeny, meeny, miny, mo".

In reality, Spring has plenty of reasons for choosing Future as the next step in her impressive career. Having started out in advertising agencies, the creative nature of the magazine business feels like coming home, she says. "Walking around Future is like walking around a giant creative department. Magazines are driven by innovation; my background feels as though it was working towards it. It smelt right and it felt right."

Strong competition

The publisher fought off a lot of competition for its new chief executive though.

"I got far down the line with a few opportunities, but nothing made my heart leap the way this did," she beams, surveying her new office on her first "public visit" to the London headquarters. It's rather bare at the moment, but she's already picking out furniture ahead of her official start date on 3 July.

In the meantime, she will be getting to know the Future teams both in the UK - split between London and Bath - and abroad. Over the next two weeks she will be jetting to Paris, Milan, San Francisco and New York. And, she adds, "reading lots and lots and lots of magazines".

"The only two magazines from the Future stable I've read are Total Film and Health & Fitness," she admits. "But I'm a voracious and promiscuous magazine reader."

Speculation about where Spring would end up was rife following her departure from Clear Channel in February and some might be surprised that the queen of outdoor has moved into the world of publishing.

But Hepworth's words last April obviously hit home, because Spring is already talking like a true magazine evangelist.

"When you pick up a magazine it's tactile and 'keepable'. It feels special and high quality," she says.

She is particularly taken with the latest edition of Future's music title Metal Hammer, charmingly covermounted with a sachet of fake blood. "This type of magazine experience is a special treat," she enthuses, clutching it to her chest.

A magazine fan Spring may be, but she is also aware of the pressures the sector is facing, not least from the phenomenal growth of online. But having been at Clear Channel when online overtook outdoor for the first time, she seems unperturbed by this particular challenge.

"Online is absolutely the perfect partner to magazines," she says. "Arguably Future is slightly behind in online strategically - because we were so far ahead in 2000. I think there are a few damaged souls (from the dotcom crash). But we're catching up rapidly."

Different pressures

But Spring thrives on challenges, as former colleague Will Ramage, Clear Channel's director of trading, notes. "She knows the industry inside out, but there will be different pressures," he points out. "Finding the balance between editorial and commercial will be new to her, but she will like that. She's commercially minded, but she's come from creative, not just the standard media owner side, so she's got more strings to her bow than just cash and sales."

There are other challenges too. She has never worked for a plc before, but she clearly relishes the opportunity.

"I spent my first day in analyst presentations, so that was an interesting start," she says. "There should be more women running public companies - there are almost none - so that's very exciting for me too. It sends out the right signals."

She is also hoping her arrival will send out the right signals to Future's shareholders. She is the first to admit the company "has not had the most positive press over the last 18 months, because of not meeting City expectations." There will be a period of stabilisation and delivery, she says, but don't think that means she won't be making her mark.

"I'm naturally impatient. The last thing Future needs is another nine-month strategic review. I think we will see changes sooner rather than later."

And she doesn't mean just the offfice furniture

CV

2006 Chief executive, Future

2000 Chief executive, Clear Channel UK

2000 Chairman, Federation of Groundwork Trusts

1994 Managing director, Young & Rubicam Advertising

1992 Managing director, WMGO Group

1988 Deputy managing director, GGT plc

1984 New business director, Grey International

1982 Business development director, TV-am

1978 Marketing manager, Alpine Holdings.