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Ekspress Grupp to be headed by Gunnar Kobin

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The Chairman of the Management Board of the Ekspress Group of almost four
years, Priit Leito, is to leave his post to take over the running of Modern
Times Group´s subsidiaries in Estonia AS TV3 and Mediainvest Holding AS. One of
the former founders of the media group, Gunnar Kobin, is to return to manage
the Ekspress Group. 
“Under the circumstances, TV3's offer to Priit means that the media group,
which has successfully expanded its operations in the Baltic States, has on the
one hand been an excellent recommendation to other media enterprises and on the
other been able to offer interesting challenges to strong leaders,” said Hans
H. Luik, a member of the Supervisory Board of the Ekspress Group. “The group
will continue on its current course and maintain its focus, despite the
slightly confusing times, which are nevertheless filled with possibilities for
the best journalism - be that in newspapers, magazines or ever-expanding and
ever-influential online publications.” 

According to Luik, it is thanks mainly to Leito's efforts that the Ekspress
Group, which has now entered several foreign markets, is a public stock company
- one which has demonstrated the transparency and independence required of a
media group. 
Luik says that Kobin, who stepped down as head of the Ekspress Group in 2002,
will return to a completely new company, and in addition to the changes in the
group, the nature of the media itself has changed as a result of the rapid
developments in the Internet and a variety of social networks. “At the same
time, I know that Gunnar is a leader with a slightly different way of thinking;
he has the energy and ideas needed to cope in all kinds of situations. As the
founder of the innovation district Ülemiste City he has dealt with both
visionaries and ‘doers', and this should be a good background for working on
the modern media market.” 
Priit Leito says that the time he has spent with the Ekspress Group has given
him experience working as a top-level manager, which is something most
positions would probably not be able to offer. “Wild economic growth followed
by equally frenzied decline, the listing of the company's shares on the stock
exchange, major deals on the media market, expansion in the Baltic States…
exciting times,” Leito said. “But since I've been tied to print media my whole
career, starting with the newspaper Eesti Sõnumid, the opportunity to run a
television channel seemed like a really interesting offer, and a chance to make
a complete change in my career. And why not!” 
According to Gunnar Kobin, the media is one of the world's most exciting fields
of business. 
When Hans proposed that I return to the media business, it really made me weigh
up whether to change my plans and possibly even give up some things,” he
explained. I hope my time away from the media sphere in particular can offer
the Ekspress Group a fresh look and new ideas.” 

For further information please contact:
Hans H Luik, Member of the Supervisory Board, AS Ekspress Grupp
e-mail: hans@egrupp.ee, telephone: +372 669 8081

Priit Leito, Chairman of the Management Board, AS Ekspress Grupp
e-mail: priit@egrupp.ee; telephone: +372 669 8340