Fairfax Media Wins INMA Global Innovation Award

Fairfax Media Named Worldwide Winner of Inaugural INMA Global Innovation Award

Fairfax Media has been named worldwide winner of the International News Media Association’s Global Innovation Award.  The company won the inaugural award for its Real-Time Working project – a “radical re-think of work space and culture change” – in its Sydney and Melbourne offices.

Fairfax’s structured innovation project beat industry competition from around the world. The project involved a metric-focused series of physical, behavioural and technological strategies aimed at enabling more efficient, flexible and collaborative work by individuals and teams.

“The Fairfax Real-Time Working project is the kind of comprehensive culture change that is happening in the media industry worldwide as companies re-tool for multi-media consumers and advertisers,” said Earl J. Wilkinson, executive director and CEO of INMA. “The company re-thought its physical workspace in a way that promotes collaboration and makes the workplace a magnet for talent in the competitive Sydney area.”

Fairfax Media CEO Greg Hywood said: “Winning this inaugural award is reflective of how we at Fairfax are at the forefront of change in the global media industry. It is wonderful for everyone who was involved in the change to be recognised. This is one of many ways we are successfully transforming Fairfax and sustaining our future.”

Fairfax’s Real-Time Working model is now being extended to its new offices in Wellington, New Zealand, and potentially to other locations in the near future.

Four regional winners of the Global Innovation Awards were announced by INMA in the following categories: Best in the Americas; Best in Asia/Pacific; Best in Europe and Best in South Asia. Fairfax Media was named the overall winner at the closing dinner of the INMA World Congress held in San Francisco on 13 May 2014.

Click here for INMA’S news release

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