Sitting in IPC's swanky new Southwark headquarters, Newcombe is full of energy, not least because IPC was one of the few publishers with cause for celebration following the latest ABCs. Also, now that the oldest of her three children is 19, she is 'resorting to being a teenager again' and enjoying more late nights out.
It may surprise her fashionista colleagues, but Newcombe claims to have 'spent three years in a purple tracksuit' during her time at Loughborough University, where she studied sports science and history. However, the now immaculately dressed Newcombe, who is in her second stint at IPC, has smartened up somewhat since her 'tomboy' days.
Having joined the firm as a sales trainee in the 80s, she rapidly climbed the ranks and oversaw the debut of ground-breaking celebrity weekly Now. 'When I was publishing director on the launch of Now, there was a real belief that monthly magazine buyers would not buy a weekly and many believed the celebrity weekly genre was dying,' she says.
Not all the launches on which Newcombe has worked have been as successful. Riva, which was rolled out in 1988, lasted just six issues; Newcombe recalls going into labour with her first child while calling advertisers about rebates.
Having begun her career at IPC working across teen titles 19 and Mizz, Newcombe then moved across to Connect, the company's weekly division, to launch Now.
She left in 1999 to work in contract publishing for Omnicom and Associated Newspapers because 'it simply wasn't fun any more'. However, she was lured back to IPC in 2003 as publishing director of Marie Claire.
There is no doubt that Newcombe remains excited about working on the title, which successfully challenged the misconception that fashion and serious journalism are mutually exclusive.
'Everyone wants to tell me what they think about Marie Claire following the relaunch,' she says 'Some people read it in their 20s and they are now in their 40s and the magazine has changed.' Despite some readers complaining it is too serious or others that it lacks differentiation, Newcombe believes the revamp has paid dividends. 'The magazine caters for all the facets of women's lives - the fact a woman can care about the world and still go shopping,' she says.
Well-respected in the industry as savvy, energetic, straightforward and a great strategic thinker Newcombe's appointment in 2005 as managing director of IPC's Southbank division was welcomed by agencies and clients alike.
Under Newcombe's guidance, IPC has increased its focus on digital, launching the standalone brand housetohome.com as well as revamping a number of existing websites. It has also taken a different approach to digital from many of its rivals; the web editor sits in the middle of the editorial team of each magazine as opposed to being in a separate digital department.
However, despite this strengthening focus on digital, Newcombe is keen to emphasise that the core magazine business is thriving. 'Digital is not more important than print,' she says, describing the claim that publishers see no future in print, or that investment in digital should be to its detriment, as a 'complete misconception'.
Newcombe enjoyed a very busy 2007; of the 14 magazines in her division, nine have been overhauled. While there is no doubt that the market in which she operates is a challenging one, both IPC and Newcombe have demonstrated remarkable resilience, proving that the growth of the women's weeklies market certainly does not equate to the end of the line for monthlies.
CAREER HISTORY
1995-1999: Publishing director, IPC Weeklies
1999-2000: Managing director, Premier Media Partners, Omnicom
2000-2002: Managing director, Cube, Associated Newspapers
2003-2005: Publishing director, Marie Claire, IPC Southbank
2005-present: Managing director, IPC Southbank