Media all-stars farewell Pacific’s Peter Zavecz
Agency chiefs, editors, friends and colleagues gather to farewell Pacific CEO Peter Zavecz
There was an orderly queue outside the Fratelli Fresh in “inner-city” Alexandria last night as well wishers jostled to get near Peter Zavecz in what could possibly be his final farewell from a role in Sydney media. The outgoing Pacific Magazines chief executive is returning to Melbourne again, threatening not to return to the harbour city in another role in the future, to rejoin News Corp Australia.
Zavecz finishes at Pacific on Friday, handing over the CEO role to Gereurd Roberts, and then starts in his new role as managing director – Herald & Weekly Times – commercial next week.
Seven West Media may have been reluctant to let him go, but several Seven executives joined the festival of Zavecz last night to share a farewell drink. Seven’s Kurt Burnette was joined by colleagues including Bruce McWilliam, Simon Francis and Sarah Stinson plus Yahoo7’s Ed Harrison.
Gereurd Roberts was on hand and was joined by Pacific’s Jackie Frank and most of the Pacific Magazines editors including Julia Zaetta, Luke Benedictus, Emily Taylor, Wendy Moore and Linda Smith.
Former Pacific CEO and longtime friend of Zavecz, Nick Chan, was one of several Bauer executives on hand including the recently departed Simon Davies and the editor-in-chief of The Australian Women’s Weekly Kim Doherty – both Davies and Doherty former Pacific employees too.
Also paying homage were many agency executives and clients including PHD’s Mark Coad, Zenith’sAnthony Ellis, Aegis’ Alex Pekish, Razor’s Simon Rush, Atomic Group’s Barry O’Brien, M2M’s Wendy Gower and former Merchant and Partners MD, now working with Russell Tate at 2CH, Alan Robertson.
Working media kept a low profile. Joining Mediaweek were The Australian’s media diary duo of Darren Davidson and Jake Mitchell.
Mediaweek magazine is promising exclusive glossy, colour pictorial coverage of the event next week.
At the festival of Zavecz [L-R]: Gavin Blackburn (Coty), Anthony Ellis (Zenith), Bruce McWilliam (Seven), Hamish Guild (WIN), Terry Little (Estee Lauder), Peter Zavecz and Kurt Burnette (Seven)