Croissandeau, 46, took up post at Maison Moderne on 8 May where he will lead development and transformation projects within the various editorial teams at the media company.
His appointment comes nine months after Richard Karacian succeeded Maison Moderne founder Mike Koedinger as CEO of the publishing house. In an introductory interview with Paperjam, Croissandeau described himself as rigorous, optimistic and curious.
The journalist, who moved from Paris to Luxembourg for the role, said he was “seduced by the quality of the articles and content” of the publishing house, as well as the ecosystem created within Maison Moderne.
“While the press sector is in full transformation or even in crisis for some titles, Maison Moderne has managed to keep up with audacity and inventiveness. But it is mostly the values of the group that spoke to me,” he said, adding: “The whole team works with an outsider mentality even if the Maison Moderne titles are leaders in their segment. This state of mind allows experimentation and innovation. It is an essential asset to enable a media company to continue its growth.”
Economics and politics reporting
Croissandeau studied literature and history before studying journalist. He worked for 15 years as a journalist at French magazine the “Nouvel Observateur”, reporting on major stories related to economy and politics.
In 2011, he joined daily “Le Parisien” and then in 2014 returned to the “Nouvel Observateur” to direct the editorial team. While there, he oversaw the redesign of the publication, which rebranded as “l’Obs”, propelling the title to win the Magazine of the Year Award in 2015.
“This transformation of the editorial offer (print and web) was coupled with an adaptation of the economic model that allowed the title to become profitable last year, for the first time since 2004,” Croissandeau said.
The journalist also worked as columnist and co-interviewer for several French TV channels and radio stations.
He said his goals at Maison Moderne will be to lead the editorial teams and to further develop each media brand in “close collaboration with the 20 or so employees of Maison Moderne’s publishing division.”