Wirtualna Polska, the largest publisher of web services in Poland, has finalized the acquisition of the Wirtualne Media portal. After the acquisition, the portal will continue to operate as a separate company, independent from the media part of WP. Ewa Świstuniuk, an experienced manager in the media industry, has been appointed President of the newly acquired company.
The scope of business of the Wirtualne Media portal includes media, advertising, public relations and marketing. It is an undisputed leader in the industry and enjoys the trust of its users. To maintain its independence, the portal will remain a separate company within the WP Group, subordinated directly to the holding’s management board. This will allow it to write credibly about the entire market.
"The independence of Wirtualne Media’s editorial office is the foundation of its activity. When we heard that a new owner is sought for the portal, we expressed interest, because we recognize how important this company is for the industry. As the new owner we guarantee its independence," said Jacek Świderski, President of Wirtualna Polska Holding S.A.
"Wirtualne Media is a brand with a solid position on the market, with which the media and advertising community begins every day. I am delighted to see the portal become a part of Wirtualna Polska. This will allow it to continue writing about the industry in which it operates in a reliable and a critical manner. I made sure to pick an investor that guarantees honest reporting and that is also a leader in Internet media in Poland", said Marcin Szumichora, founder of the Wirtualne Media portal.
Marcin Szumichora will with the company as an advisor to the management board, but will hand over the reins to Ewa Świstuniuk, who will become the new President.
"The Wirtualna Media portal is opening a completely new chapter. My ambition is to see that the portal supports the professionalization of the industry by expanding our activities to other segments. We aim to build a community of specialists around the site, strengthening the role of the media and raising standards. As an autonomous part of the WP Group, we will focus on analyzing new trends and their impact on the world of media, advertising and PR," said Ewa Świstuniuk, President of Wirtualnemedia.pl.
Ewa Świstuniuk graduated from the Faculty of Economics at the University of Warsaw and completed post-graduate studies at the Warsaw School of Economics and the University of Warsaw. For the last 25 years, she worked for the INFOR Group (publisher of Dziennik Gazeta Prawna, among others), which she left in November 2023. She held various positions, including CFO, president of the subsidiary Infor Biznes, management board member and then a president of the parent company INFOR PL S.A. Since 2014 she has also been a member of the management board of the Chamber of Press Publishers.
Wirtualne Media has been in operation since 2000. It is the largest platform in Poland dedicated to television, radio, press, Internet, new technologies, public relations and marketing research. The website receives over 3 million monthly visitors, and its daily newsletter has 47 thousand subscribers. In December 2023, the portal achieved its highest reach performance to date. In the Media Monitoring Institute’s ranking of the most influential media publishers, the portal consistently ranks among the top positions every month, and its publications are cited by the largest publishers in Poland.