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December 14, 2015

The company formerly known as Emap changes name from Top Right Group to Ascential

By Dominic Ponsford

 The business publisher and events company Top Right Group (formerly Emap) has changed its name to Ascential.

Chief executive Duncan Painter said: “We are targeting to become the global leader in large-scale live events and the digital information services industry and our new name and strong brand identity reflects the exciting future we see ahead.

“The Top Right Group brand was the right identity for us when our focus was on transforming and turning around our operating companies. Over the past three years, those operating companies have performed well financially and it is now time to move the group brand forward. Our successful new business model provides the confidence that we are stronger as a group than as individual standalone operating companies.

“The Ascential name and brand crystallises our constant focus on growing our customers’ success by creating more essential products and services for them, building greater value for our shareholders and an aspirational future for our business.”

The move follows a change of name announced last week for the Emap B2B publishing division to Plexus.

Ascential publishes business titles including: Nursing Times,  Retail Week, Drapers and Construction News. Earlier this year it announced plans to phase out print publication for all its titles.

The company is jointly owned by Apax and Guardian Media Group which together paid more than £1bn for it in 2007.

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In 2014 the group made adjusted operating profit of £85.3m on revenue of £312m.

The company has debt of more than £400m.

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