Auton Exiting Time Inc.'s Lifestyle Group

In a surprise move, Time Inc. announced that Sylvia Auton, a tough-minded Brit who came to the U.S. two years ago to run the company’s Lifestyle titles like Real Simple and Southern Living, is returning to its U.K. magazine unit. Auton will resume her job as chairman/CEO of IPC Media, where she was prior to coming to the Lifestyle Group, starting Jan. 1, 2011. Replacing her will be Evelyn Webster, who has been CEO of IPC Media during Auton’s absence and will become evp of the Lifestyle group.The announcement Aug. 17 came just days following the bigger shakeup news at Time Inc. that Meredith’s Jack Griffin would replace Ann Moore as CEO in September.Auton took over the Lifestyle Group in the thick of the recession, when Time Inc. reorganized its titles into three divisions and laid off some 600 people. While not seen as warm and fuzzy, she oversaw the redesign of three key lifestyle titles, Real Simple, Southern Living and Cooking Light, that had apparent advertising success. This year through August, Real Simple was up 25 percent in ad pages, to 970. Cooking Light rose 22 percent to 780 and Southern Living, 1 percent to 640 pages, per the Mediaweek Monitor.Auton also has been at the center of some controversial reports. She made headlines in April with a New York Post story alleging that she lobbied Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes to spin off Time Inc., a claim Auton denied. During her tenure, Real Simple carried a Walmart ad whose resemblance to the surrounding editorial appeared to flout American Society of Magazine Editors guidelines. Nevertheless, the company credited her with growing newsstand, ad share, ad revenue and profits at the group.“Sylvia is one of the most talented executives in the magazine business. She has transformed the Lifestyle Group during her time here and, with her mission accomplished, is returning to the CEO role at IPC,” Moore said in announcing the change.

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Auton Exiting Time Inc.'s Lifestyle Group

Lucia Moses

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