Experienced journalist Andrew Spence has been appointed group business editor, overseeing a team that includes award-winning investigative reporter Bension Siebert and Jessica Bassano, who started at Solstice 12 months ago after being selected to join our highly-competitive cadetship program.

Spence began his journalism career as a reporter with News Corp’s Messenger Newspaper Group in Adelaide in 2003 before rising to regional editor, chief of staff and deputy editor-in-chief. He moved to The Advertiser where he worked as deputy head of news before joining Solstice Media in 2015. Since then he has worked as senior journalist for The Lead South Australia, covering a broad range of topics from business and technology to primary industries and sport.

In another key appointment, Johnny von Einem has been promoted to editor of CityMag, which will boost its print output from four annual editions to six. Von Einem has been the digital editor of CityMag, in which role he’s helped to build the online readership of the Adelaide-focused publication.

Previous editor Josh Fanning, the co-founder of CityMag, will continue to lead the title’s print and digital editions as publisher.

In other staff moves at Solstice, Suzie Keen, long-term features editor at InDaily, has been appointed group arts editor, leading arts coverage across InDaily, CityMag and SALIFE.

SALIFE staff writer Zoe Rice has been promoted to senior journalist with the magazine.

Solstice has also taken other steps to boost InDaily’s news coverage. The company has reached an agreement with the ABC to publish stories from the South Australian regions, as well as utilise their coverage of police matters and the courts.

The coverage is in addition to InDaily’s growing team of in-house reporters, who will continue to provide South Australians with their valued independent coverage of politics, business, and the life of the city.

Solstice Media editorial director David Washington said readers could expect more news, more often this year from South Australia’s biggest independent news organisation.

“Andrew is very well-respected in South Australian journalism and will lead a growing business team which has been given the task of not only uncovering important stories in the field, but also helping to explain the bigger picture of what’s happening in local industry and the economy,” he said.

“We’ve seen other news organisations abandon their print products focused on the city of Adelaide. Expanding CityMag’s print schedule is our show of faith in the city and what it has to offer.

“New editor Johnny is a news-breaker who has impeccable connections in the city. Alongside Josh, who has been with CityMag since the beginning, he will lead the expanded print schedule and a growing digital presence, which can only be good for the city and the media in South Australia.

“Suzie Keen has been leading InDaily’s features journalism with distinction for many years. She’ll now focus her considerable knowledge and skills on the coverage of South Australian arts in all of our publications.”