Latest Press Releases
October 31, 2007
Walter de Gruyter with clear management direction
From 1st May 2008 Dr Sven Fund joins the Management Board
Dr Sven Fund will be joining the managing team of Walter de Gruyter Publishers from 1st May 2008. Since Prof. Klaus Saur took over as sole Managing Director at the beginning of 2005, the company’s business has developed in a very positive manner. To maintain this success over the long term, the shareholders and the Advisory Board have taken this important decision about the management of the company in good time with Prof. Saur’s full agreement.
On 1st May 2008, Dr Sven Fund will join the Senior Management Team of the publishing house, and will then succeed Prof Saur as Managing Partner. At this point, Prof Saur will re-join the Advisory Board.
Dr Fund studied political science and history at Münster University. After completing his doctorate and working in various book-selling and publishing companies, he joined Springer Publishers in 2002. There he first took over the management of Birkhäuser Publishing in Basle. In 2006 he also became managing Director of Springer Publishing in Vienna. In addition, he assumed managerial responsibility for Springer in Paris and the Architectural Press in Boston and joined the STM Management Board.
Prof Saur explains: “We see the appointment of Dr Fund as securing the continuation of the extraordinarily positive development of all our publishing activities with considerable increases in turnover in recent years.”
“After our recent successful strategic, structural and operational innovations, we have made this appointment to ensure the necessary continuity in the management of our company”, the Chair of the Advisory Board, Dr Balzereit explains. “With the appointment of Dr Fund we have managed to secure the services of a highly qualified manager with a wealth of relevant experience who will maintain the course set by Prof Saur. We are thus well equipped to meet all the challenges presented to us."
August 30, 2007
Relaunch of the corporate website
www.degruyter.de appears with a fresh design and provides extensive new features and functions
Simpler, more accessible and even more international. These were the challenges for the update of Walter de Gruyter’s internet presence.
The new interface is available with immediate effect. Access to the publishing house’s complex product programme is provided either via a horizontal imprint bar or by a subject area bar in the left-hand menu. These provide access to the relevant series, multi-volume works and planned works, journals and electronic media. The home page provides quick links to important topics such as ‘journals’ or ‘electronic media’. The shopping basket function has been optimised, the information on titles expanded and – of particular significance for our international customers – a complete English language version has been set up. In addition, users can link to the Google full-text search engine, in which de Gruyter is also involved, and search in the full text of books. “It is always a major challenge to combine 8000 available titles and 100 journals from the most varied subject areas into an accessible and appealing design that provides the user with ease of navigation. We are very happy with the result and - if the first feedback is anything to go by – so are our customers,” says de Gruyter’s Marketing Director Dorothea Kern.
The number of hits to the publisher’s website has risen steadily since the first relaunch in December 2002 – the page view quote showing an increase of over 90%. A next major step forward will be the integration of the imprints of the two publishing houses of K.G. Saur and Max Niemeyer at the end of 2007.
December 20, 2006
Walter de Gruyter buys Brill's complete Mathematics list.
In a deal with Brill, Walter de Gruyter has with immediate effect bought the entire Mathematics list consisting of six journals and approximately 150 individual book titles. All publications appear under the imprint of VSP and will be added to de Gruyter’s existing list of Mathematics titles, which also includes the prestigious Journal für die reine und angewandte Mathematik (“CRELLE’S JOURNAL”).
Matthias Wahls, Business Development Manager of Brill said: “This Mathematics list is an important resource in the field, but has remained somewhat underdeveloped, also due to its lack of critical mass. By this transfer, VSP’s Mathematics publications, and with it also its authors, editors and readers, will greatly benefit as they join a publisher who already manages a list of a considerable market standing in the Mathematics.”
Wolfgang Boettner, Publishing Director Medicine and Sciences of Walter de Gruyter, welcomes the latest acquisition: “The outstanding publications we acquired from Brill fit extremely well into our existing Mathematics program and will further strengthen our market position in this scientific field.”
August 14, 2006
Walter de Gruyter acquires K. G. Saur und Max Niemeyer creating the largest humanities and social sciences publisher in Continental Europe.
Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG has with immediate effect acquired the complete publishing programme of K. G. Saur Verlag GmbH, which since 2005 has also included the programme of Max Niemeyer Verlag. Through this acquisition Walter de Gruyter will become the market leader in the subject areas classical studies, philosophy, German studies, linguistics and English and Romance studies, as well as in library sciences and general library reference works. The headquarters of the company will be located in Berlin.
In the words of Prof. Dr. Klaus G. Saur, Managing Partner and Chief Executive: “This merger represents a publishing highpoint. The lists complement each other perfectly. Through synergies both at the editorial level and in all areas of sales worldwide we see extremely strong future potential.”
