The first issue will be published in the beginning of April 2015.
The content of Forbes Austria will consist of 60% Austrian business news, commentary and features, and 40% editorial content from Forbes U.S. The Austrian edition will be published monthly.
Peter Barecz, Managing Director of Business Consulting & Media, said: “We are proud to bring high-quality and exclusive journalistic content to another market in Europe. Austria is a dynamic country with highly developed regional and global businesses of big names and tradition, and a booming start-up and technology scene. Looking at the number of Austrians included in Forbes’ rich list and considering the size of this market, we believe that Austria is the right place for a global business media brand like Forbes.”
Business Consulting & Media, the owner of MediaRey AT GmbH in Austria, launched Forbes Slovakia and Forbes Czech Republic monthly in 2010 and 2011 respectively. Both local editions are considered leading independent business media brands in their markets. Forbes Hungary, which launched in November 2013, has become the fastest-growing business media brand in the country, says Forbes.
Forbes Media Chief Operating Officer Mike Federle stated: “We’re excited to partner with Business Consulting & Media to launch a Forbes Austria local-language edition. This launch continues our rapid expansion into Europe, which has become a very important strategic footprint for Forbes.”
Hans Weitmayr, an experienced business journalist who previously worked as Chief of the International Department and Chief Managing Editor with Austria's largest business daily WirtschaftsBlatt, will take on the position as Editor in Chief. Most recently, Weitmayr worked as a freelance journalist for international and national magazines like Börse Online, Euro, Citywire, wirtschaftsblatt.at and Format. “I am very much looking forward to taking on this exciting and interesting job. In Austria, We expect to be successful by developing content that has a unique blend of international appeal and national expertise. We are going to report on business, personalities and lifestyle in a way that hasn't been done before in Austria,” Weitmayr said.
