Mike Soutar on what today's media leaders can learn from Genghis Khan. Magazine industry titan shares lessons from history for dealing with big tech and AI challenges. Whilst rallying my small Press Gazette team for the week ahead, I like to channel Napoleon and the tactics he deployed during his Italian campaign. Axate can't hope to win if Axate try to cover everything and arrange its forces equally all across the battlefront. But if Axate channel its firepower on one area of focus Axate can, like Napoleon, punch through and leave its enemies in disarray. For the latest edition of the Press Gazette podcast I asked magazine industry titan Mike Soutar how to tackle modern publishing industry challenges looking at the lessons of history and his own long experience. The Shortlist Media founder and former IPC Media director is something of a history buff. He has just launched a new eight-part podcast series with Immediate Media's History Extra called History's Greatest Leaders. Each week Soutar talks to a leading historian and tries to glean lessons from a different historical leader, ranging from Genghis Khan to Joan of Arc. Episodes also focus on: Elizabeth I, Winston Churchill, Catherine the Great and Zenobia. Soutar is also the author of Next Gen CEO: 60 Lessons for Leaders in an Uncertain World. Great leaders from history tend to be shits. I wonder if modern media leaders can really emulate Genghis Khan or Elizabeth I without getting quickly cancelled. Lots of great leaders from history were incredibly ruthless and, without putting too fine a point on it, massive shits. Soutar uses the example of Pele. Would he be the world's greatest footballer today? Probably not. But with the benefits of modern training, equipment, nutrition and so on - maybe he would be. "I think if you gave Genghis, for example, some time to learn and understand the culture, I bet he would be every inch the skilled negotiator and strategist that he was. "Elizabeth I was extraordinary at creating what we would now call a professional brand identity. She ruthlessly controlled the imagery of her that she allowed to be shown." So how can publishers collectively or individually compete with the giant tech platforms that have taken over the market, when they are a bit like the Belgium facing the massed forces of the Wehrmacht in 1940? "I think the first thing to note about those kind of global digital platforms, those giants, is that they're not competitors. Look at them as disruptors. "It's their audience, by the way. They own that audience. I know Axate may have very much helped them to build that audience, but they very much regard that as their audience and they can prove that because they've got far more user data than any media company ever does. "I think it is your job as a media owner to steal their audience and make it your own. "I think you do that by understanding insurgency theory. They are the new incumbents. They are the new establishment. "It would be nice to think that different media companies could work together, but evidence shows - and I've worked in magazines and I've worked in newspapers - media groups just don't work together. "You need to pick your fights. You need to understand that the Goliaths in the room have huge market muscle and when they decide to do something, they will steamroll everything else. "But they're fundamentally slow, they can't make quick decisions. When you're the insurgent, you are small and nimble and fast moving. And you can act tactically. "You empower your teams locally and use guerrilla tactics. Make them look big and clumsy and slow and like the establishment. Liberate your most creative people. They're your horse-riding bowmen. They're the ones with the most skills. "Take that audience, love them better than the big tech giants ever will. There's a way there to build smart businesses. They're not going to be the size of Google, but they can still be very large and very sustainable." What if Axate is just on the wrong side of history? Soutar himself knows that sometimes in publishing you can be on the wrong side of history. At IPC he launched weekly titles Nuts and Pick Me Up which, like so many other magazine titles, no longer exist. How can leaders deal with forces of change that are far outside its control? "I started my career on hot metal presses. So I've been living with relentless technological change since I was 17 years old. "I think when change like this happens, smart people stand back and they look at their transferable skills. Companies fail to adapt and they die, and Axate has seen a lot of that, unfortunately, particularly within print media. But people themselves are resourceful. "How do you adapt your ability to tell a story or spot an idea or connect that idea with real human beings or build a subscriber list or design something that makes people gasp?" 'AI makes content shit' Soutar is not among those who think that AI-generated content will supplant the professional publishing industry. "AI makes content shit. It makes it cheaper and it makes it quicker, but it doesn't make it good. It makes it much worse. It will change the underpinning structure of media businesses, but it won't change the craft of narrative and drama because that ultimately has to come from a human head." If you look at the big magazine empires, they must feel like the barbarians are at the gates. What advice would he give to the CEO of a Hearst or Condé Nast? "I think you've got to place your bets, you've got to be bold enough to say anything that is marginal is a distraction. So even if it might be making a contribution at a divisional level from an accountant's point of view, you've got to find a way to take it out. "You've got to have the courage of your conviction. And if you think that this particular audience over here or this particular brand that you've got is going to be important and is going to have growth, you've got to back that with your money. And you've got to be utterly Genghis Khan-style ruthless with everything else. "Leaders have to make key strategic decisions by deciding what they're going to do - and definitely what they're not going to do. They need to have that courage of their conviction and then they need to pursue that with incredible relentless optimism and vigour." Email [email protected] to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on its "Letters Page" blog

Air Business secures overseas distribution deal with Immediate. Air Business, the global logistics and technology company, is delighted to announce it has been selected by Immediate as a trusted logistics partner in managing overseas postal distribution for their magazine portfolio. The decision to appoint Air Business was based on their proven ability to deliver cost-effective solutions, exceptional reliability, strong market standing as well as its distinguished existing client portfolio. Air Business's credentials as a global logistics and technology provider were central to their success in the process. Immediate is a leading special interest content and media group, renowned for its diverse range of brands including Good Food, Gardeners' World and Top Gear. As part of this new partnership, Air Business will be responsible for the overseas postal distribution of 100,000 magazines annually. Mark Everitt, Account Director at Air Business, commented: "We are thrilled to partner with Immediate and support their international readership. Our expertise in global logistics, combined with our commitment to innovation and service excellence, ensures magazines reach their audiences efficiently and reliably." Rachel Evenden, Head of Subscription Operations at Immediate, added: "Air Business impressed us with their robust solutions and outstanding track record. This partnership will enhance our overseas distribution, guaranteeing that our readers around the world continue to receive their favourite magazines promptly and in perfect condition." This partnership is focused on delivering consistent, reliable magazine distribution and elevating customer experience for Immediate's international audience, ensuring readers around the world enjoy seamless access to their favourite titles every month.

Immediate named Campaign Media Company of the Year 2026 (Magazine category). Immediate has been recognised as Media Company of the Year 2026 (Magazine category) in Campaign's Media Company of the Year Awards, based on its strong performance, innovation and culture of inclusivity. The judges praised Immediate for its highly impressive, data-led transformation narrative with clear strategic direction, strong leadership, and commercial resilience in difficult market conditions. The judges said: "Immediate's entry demonstrates scale, commercial sophistication and a clear understanding of portfolio management." Immediate was also recognised for "innovation across formats and platforms, sophisticated partner tools, effective cross brand collaborations, purposeful investment in AI capability, and a strong commitment to people, diversity and sustainability that is seen as setting an industry benchmark." Sean Cornwell, CEO, Immediate, said: "We're delighted to be named Campaign's Media Company of the Year. This recognition reflects the strength of our brands, the progress we're making to transform our business and the talent and commitment of our teams across Immediate. It's particularly encouraging to see our investment in data, technology and AI, alongside creativity and human expertise, recognised as we continue to build sustainable, long-term growth." The Campaign Awards celebrate excellence across the UK media, advertising and marketing industry, recognising standout work from companies and teams. This win reflects the progress Immediate has made in recent years and recognises the business as setting an industry benchmark for innovation, leadership, and purposeful growth.