Phippen (pictured on the left, receiving the award from Nicholas Brett) was presented with the prestigious award by Arnaud de Puyfontaine, Chief Executive of Hearst Magazines UK, and Nicholas Brett, Editorial Director and Deputy Managing Director of BBC Magazines, at a ceremony at the Royal Bank of Scotland’s flagship headquarters in Bishopsgate, London on October 21.
Phippen received a citation and an honorarium of £1,000 as well as the silver trophy, which is a replica of the emblem of The Eagle comic, launched by Rev. Marcus Morris OBE in 1950.
Phippen, a former Chairman of the PPA, began his career in 1982 as a graduate trainee at IPC, progressing to become Associate Publisher and then Marketing Manager for the women's monthlies group.
In 1987, he joined BBC Magazines as Marketing Director, launching a number of new titles based around BBC programme brands to extend the company's portfolio beyond Radio Times. He became Managing Director in September 1993, overseeing the launch of titles such as Gardeners’ World, Top Gear, Good Food, and a portfolio of children’s magazines, leading BBC Magazines to become the third largest consumer magazine publisher in the UK.
Barry McIlheney, Chief Executive of the PPA, said: “Peter has lived and breathed magazine publishing for more than a quarter of a century and he has a passion for and an understanding of all aspects of our industry. Aside from his key role in building BBC Magazines into a successful business, Peter has also performed an invaluable service as an ambassador for the wider industry through his work at the PPA.”
Phippen said: "It is a fantastic honour to be receiving this award. It means a huge amount to me, my colleagues and my family."
The Marcus Morris Award is the highest accolade in magazine publishing in the UK and was established by the PPA and endowed by The National Magazine Company (Hearst Magazines UK) in 1990. The award recognises and commemorates the exceptional career and outstanding contribution to the UK magazine industry of The Reverend Marcus Morris OBE.
Peter Phippen announced this week that he will step down from his current role when BBC Magazines moves to new ownership, following completion of the deal between BBC Worldwide and Exponent. From November 1, 2011, Peter will become Deputy Chairman of Immediate Media Co, which combines the newly-acquired magazine business from BBC Worldwide with Origin Publishing and Magicalia, and he will play an important role in developing the new business.
About PPA
The PPA says: “The Professional Publishers Association (PPA) promotes and protects the interests of print and online publishers of consumer and business media in the UK. The PPA has around 200 publishing companies in its membership, which collectively produce more than 2,500 consumer and business magazines and journals as well as digital media, data products and events.”
