Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. (Lagardère Active) announces promotions for Luxury Design Group

Laurence Oberwager Named Vice President/Associate Publisher, Sales, Christine Boyle Named Vice President/Associate Publisher, Marketing

Jack Kliger, President and CEO, Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. (HFM U.S.), announced today two promotions in the Luxury Design Group: Laurence Oberwager, currently VP/Publisher, PointClickHome and Shelter Group Sales Director, is promoted to Vice President/Associate Publisher, Sales, Luxury Design Group, and Christie Boyle, currently Associate Publisher, Metropolitan Home, is promoted to Vice President/Associate Publisher, Marketing, Luxury Design Group, effective immediately. Both report to Deborah Burns, Senior Vice President, Luxury Design Group, and Publisher, Metropolitan Home and to Barbara Friedmann, Vice President/Managing Director, Luxury Design Group and Publisher, ELLE DECOR.

Deborah Burns said: “Larry and Christie are talented professionals with deep experience in the shelter category. They have each made impressive contributions during their tenures with the company. Barbara Friedmann and I are delighted to have their expertise on the team as we build the Luxury Design Group franchise and take Metropolitan Home and ELLE DECOR to the next level.”

The recently formed Luxury Design Group unites the sales and marketing teams of HFM U.S.’s high-end shelter titles ELLE DECOR and Metropolitan Home, providing advertisers a single point-of-entry to create custom integrated media and marketing plans, anchored by the combined strength of HFM U.S.’s flagship luxury titles and PointClickHome, the company’s shelter website.

The editorial staffs and missions will remain separate: ELLE DECOR is the international fashion magazine for the home, while Metropolitan Home is the guide to modern luxury. Each has a distinct editorial vision that engages their largely unduplicated audiences as only niche publications can. By packaging these two passionate, affluent readerships together, HFM U.S. can offer premier marketers the best of both worlds: quality with scale.

Laurence (Larry) Oberwager joined the company in May 2007 in the role of VP/Publisher, PointClickHome and Shelter Group Sales Director. Before that he was Associate Publisher, Marketing for Hearst’s House Beautiful (July 2006 – February 2007); Associate Publisher, Marketing, Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Publications (June 2004 – June 2006); Director of Marketing, Shelter, Country Home, Traditional Home and Meredith Home Solutions (July 2002 – June 2006) and Director of Marketing Country Home (August 2001 – June 2002).

Christie Boyle joined the company in March 2000 as the HFM U.S. Associate Director, Sales Development, Integrated Marketing Group. She later served as Corporate Marketing Director, Integrated Marketing Group (November 2001 – January 2005), ELLEgirl magazine Marketing Director (January 2005 – April 2006), Metropolitan Home Creative Services Director (April 2006 – March 2008) and most recently Metropolitan Home’s Associate Publisher, Marketing & Advertising Services (March 2008 – Present). Before HFM U.S., she was Details magazine Associate Marketing Director (March 1999 – March 2000) and Details Marketing Manager (June 1997 – March 1999).

About ELLE DECOR
ELLE DECOR is a chic and sophisticated Global Positioning System for the world of design. Founded in 1990, it is known for interiors that are as personal and idiosyncratic as they are luxurious and inspiring. What began as an off-shoot of ELLE nineteen years ago has grown to become international network of 23 editions on six continents, wielding a global footprint second only to ELLE itself. In 2007, the magazine saw its best year ever, with 1,266 advertising pages, up 13% over the prior year and the #1 growth rate in the category. Through the September 2008 issue, it has held on to those gains and is projected to close the year flat in a challenging economic environment. Margaret Russell, the magazine’s stylish editor-in-chief, will appear on Bravo’s Top Design starting September 3rd as the show enters its second record-breaking season. Her fall 2007 book, “So Chic,” has sold over 33,000 copies and remains a best-seller on Amazon’s list of interior design books.

About Metropolitan Home
Metropolitan Home, headed by Editor-in-Chief Donna Warner, is the only completely modern design magazine that combines affluence with an urban mindset. The editors believe that the timeless quality of superior design goes beyond fads to resonate and engage a powerful audience who identify with the modern approach to life. Metropolitan Home delivers high-end modern design and interiors blending with intelligent reporting to connect to a progressive reader mindset.

About Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S.
Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. (www.hfmus.com) enthusiast brands and targeted media products reach nearly 60 million consumers through magazines, online and mobile content. The company’s editorial hallmarks are trusted expert content along with independent product testing. Our prestigious brands fall into six sectors and include: Fashion (ELLE, ELLEgirl); Automotive (Car and Driver, Road & Track, Jumpstart Automotive Media); The Luxury Design Group (ELLE DECOR, Metropolitan Home, PointClickHome); Women & Health (Woman’s Day and Woman’s Day Special Interest Group) and Enthusiasts (American Photo, Boating, Cycle World, Flying, Popular Photography, Premiere and Sound & Vision). HFM U.S. Total Solutions marketing initiative packages these assets across brands and platforms with customized marketing programs. HFM U.S. is part of Lagardère’s (www.lagardere.com) media division Lagardère Active, a producer of special interest content in over 40 countries.