Battle over as magazine queen Jackie Frank steps aside
The official word on Jackie Frank’s departure from Pacific Magazines was that she had “resigned” from a role she loved, but sources say it came after a long-running battle with those at the top.
Opinion
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It was an emotional and teary Jackie Frank who announced her departure from magazine publisher Pacific Publications on Friday.
The official word was Frank (right) had “resigned” from a role she loved as much as power ponytails, a good cleanse and passionate debate, but magazine sources on Friday claimed Frank has been battling her male bosses at the publishing house since 2014 when she was replaced at the helm of the magazine she founded in 1995, marie claire.
In 2014 she became group publisher of fashion and health titles at Pacific, admitting the movement at the top of the company had come as a surprise.
She accepted it saying she was going to “roll up my sleeves now and get on with it” but not without first making a territorial claim.
Executives wanted to relocate Frank to the executive floor but she refused, telling them their floor was too boring and remained in her marie claire office, leaving incoming editor Nicky Briger with no office at all. The company ended up building a small office for Briger in the opposite corner.
By 2016 the industry was buzzing with talk Frank had thrown her name into the ring for a crack at the CEO role at Pacific following the departure of Peter Zavecz, who left for News Corp. She was overlooked for a younger man when the job went to former general manager of Pacific, Gereurd Roberts.
On Friday she said in a prepared statement: “My proudest achievement has been the opportunity to champion women’s issues while helming Marie Claire through groundbreaking campaigns such as gender equality, paid maternity leave, domestic violence and depression — and right now these and related issues are more relevant and important than ever.”
She finishes at Pacific on March 16.
Frank is the latest influential woman to be shed from the women’s magazine industry and been replaced by a man.
Bauer publisher Jayne Ferguson left her role as general manager of women’s lifestyle and entertainment publishing at Bauer on February 2. Her role has been absorbed by Bauer CEO Paul Dykzeul.