Brand new day for weekly magazine

Magazine editor Sido Kitchin has taken the helm of Woman's Day and celebrates her first issue on shelf today with an exclusive cover story with Mike Hosking and Kate Hawkesby, new columnist Sarah-Kate Lynch and the best of fashion, food, and lifestyle features.

"It is incredibly exciting to be editing Woman's Day - the biggest and best women's magazine brand in the country and the market leader by a long way. New Zealand has a very competitive magazine scene so there will be challenges - but I love a good challenge!" says Sido. "And we have a royal wedding on the horizon, so what a wonderful time to be starting at Woman's Day."

Sido 39, who has a 20-year history in journalism and publicity roles, looks forward to putting her own unique stamp on the magazine.

"The magazine is in excellent shape and my goal is to strengthen its position and cement the title as one which delivers a the best mix of great celebrity gossip, features and photos, intriguing real-life stories and a jam-packed lifestyle section of practical and inspirational features. I want readers to be uplifted by the magazine each week," says Sido.

"I want readers to know they have a friend in Woman's Day - a magazine they know, love and trust.

ACP CEO Paul Dykzeul believes Sido has the ability to catapult Woman's Day into new territory. "Sido has an incredible breadth and depth of experience that makes her the perfect candidate to steer Woman's Day into the future. There is no denying that the magazine business is a challenging one in the current climate, but we feel confident Sido will lead the team through and produce results to keep the title ahead of the game," he says.

After completing the Wellington Polytechnic School of Journalism course in 1991, Sido worked for community newspapers and then as a publicist for South Pacific Pictures, Sky TV, TVNZ, Shortland Street and Channel Seven in Melbourne, Australia.

"Working as a publicist taught me the power of celebrity and opened my eyes to just how interested people are with 'how the other half lives'. I've always tried to be respectful and fair in my dealings with people who live and work in the public eye and I look forward to continuing that tradition at Woman's Day," says Sido.

In between publicity stints, Sido dipped in and out of the weekly magazine world, finally making her name as editor of NZ Woman's Weekly for five years. She was named Editor of the Year at the MPAs three years running, winning the Supreme Editor of the Year in 2008.

"I enjoyed working at NZ Woman's Weekly but the time was right for change. I feel confident that I can build on the success of Woman's Day. I want to make this great magazine even better and ensure it maintains its place in the hearts and minds of readers for many years to come."

Sido lives in Auckland with husband Conrad, daughter Cleo (7 years) and son Darcy (22 months).

 About ACP Media

ACP Media is New Zealand's leading magazine publisher. The company's ACP Magazines division publishes some of the country's most popular magazines, including Woman's Day, The Australian Women's Weekly, Next, Taste, Metro and North & South. ACP magazines reach 2.9 million New Zealanders every year with three in every four female magazine readers choosing an ACP magazine. During 2010 ACP's combined titles increased by more than 80,000 new readers compared to the previous year.