Geraldine Knudson, the former city manager at the City of Luxembourg, is returning to the grand duchy to head up Maison Moderne, the publisher of Delano and Paperjam among other titles. The appointment was made public on Thursday afternoon. Knudson has been the director of the Munich Tourism Office, leading a team of 80 staff, since 2013.
“I have known Maison Moderne and Mike Koedinger for a long time and appreciate their high level of innovation and creativity,” says Knudson. “The information industry, like many other sectors, is undergoing rapid transformation. The acceleration of digitalisation and efficient organisational structuring are essential for the success of future projects at Maison Moderne. I look forward to returning to Luxembourg to take on the challenge of running this great company as CEO.”
Knudson, who speaks five languages, including Luxembourgish, studied theatre history, art history and sociology at the Freie Universität Berlin. She served as city manager at VdL from 2006 to 2012 and prior to that was a manager in the marketing department of Luxembourg-based satellite operator SES.
Maison Moderne founder Mike Koedinger will be acting CEO until Knudson takes up the post on 14 September. Since the beginning of the covid-19 crisis, Koedinger returned to strengthen the management team by getting involved in operational functions. “As Founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors, I support the company in its strategic development,” says Mike Koedinger. “In these difficult times, it is important as the leading independent media company in Luxembourg to continue to support the grand duchy’s economy by providing information, of course, but also by highlighting the ideas that will move the country forward and celebrating the actors who contribute to it.”
Individual talents
Outgoing CEO Richard Karacian will leave the company in mid-July. “When I agreed to live in Luxembourg and lead the most dynamic media company in the country, I didn’t set a deadline, but after three years of firmly implemented growth and a strategy, the covid-19 crisis brought an earlier end to my remit than planned,” Karacian explained. “Like the country, at Maison Moderne there is a constant desire to succeed. To move forward, without giving up. Never before have I found so many individual talents in one place. This constant quest for quality forced me to really examine my decision. I also benefited enormously from the philosophy of the company, which considers that to transform is not to suffer. Despite this and with the conviction of having accomplished my mission, I spontaneously opened up to Mike to simply tell him that I missed my family in Paris.”
Prior to joining Maison Moderne, Karacian was managing director of the French daily Libération. “By running the company for three years, Richard has proven that Maison Moderne does not depend on its founder in operational functions,” says Mike Koedinger, who founded the company 26 years ago. “Richard very quickly developed a quality network in Luxembourg, he strengthened the management of the company through a set of strategic recruitments, he contributed significantly to accelerate digitalisation, the growth of the agency and the growth of the business club.”
Indeed, since the beginning of the crisis, Maison Moderne adapted its Paperjam Club programme around a package of online conferences aimed at helping its 1,300 member companies better react to the crisis.
Maison Moderne will continue its commitment to the long-term development of Luxembourg by contributing to the country’s social change and international influence. The media company currently employs 120 employees in distinct areas of activity--independent media, a communication agency specialised in content marketing, the business club and an advertising agency. The board of directors is composed of Marie-Jeanne Chèvremont, Pascale Kauffman, Mike Koedinger and Daniel Schneider.