The Wall Street Journal Europe Partners With Quest Media To Launch European Business Awards

LONDON ( Feb. 27, 2006) — The Wall Street Journal Europe today announced that it will launch the European Business Awards in conjunction with publisher and event organiser Quest Media. These awards recognise and promote excellence, best practice and innovation in the European business community.

Quest Media, based in the United Kingdom, has staged the high-profile National Business Awards in the U.K. for the past five years; it also launched the National Business Awards for Scotland three years ago. Past winners have included business leaders Peter Erskine of O2; Sir Terry Leahy of Tesco; Lord Michael Heseltine of Haymarket Publishing Group; and companies as diverse as Innocent Drinks, Admiral Group, Experian International and Wild Bean Café.

The European Business Awards cover 25 European Union countries and this year will be judged by a panel made up of key business executives, academics and thought leaders. Categories include "Business of the Year"; "Entrepreneur of the Year"; "Business Leader of the Year"; "Growth Strategy of the Year"; "Business Innovation of the Year"; "The Award for Customer Focus"; "The European Trade Award"; and "The Lifetime Achievement Award."

The European Business Awards also has established a Strategic Advisory Panel of senior business, government and academic leaders. The panel will contribute to the present and long-term objectives of the Awards and help ensure the value and significance of the programme. Wim Kok, prime minister of the Netherlands from 1994-2002, is one of the founding members of the panel.

"We're delighted to be partnering with Quest Media to launch the European Business Awards, given their wealth of experience and standing in this field," said Jon Housman, managing director, The Wall Street Journal Europe. "These awards will honour the very best leadership qualities that Europe has to offer and will highlight examples of individuals and organisations that have achieved outstanding results that set them apart as the leading companies, business leaders and entrepreneurs in Europe."

"The European Business Awards is an opportunity for each of the 25 countries of the European Union to stake its claim for business excellence. With so many emerging economies sitting alongside established trading countries, the competition looks set to be extremely exciting," said Adrian Tripp, managing director, Quest Media. "Our partnership with The Wall Street Journal Europe sets the seal on what promises to be a very high-profile event and a prestigious recognition of achievement and excellence in European business."

A shortlist of finalists will be announced in October 2006; a gala ceremony honouring the winners will be held in Brussels in January 2007. For details on how to enter, please go to www.questmedia.com, where a downloadable entry form is available.

The Wall Street Journal Europe recently announced that it will publish "Style Journal," a glossy lifestyle and fashion magazine in partnership with UK-based Show Media; and started printing operations in the Republic of Ireland earlier in the month. These initiatives follow the highly successful launch of a compact, online-integrated format of the newspaper in October 2005.

About The Wall Street Journal Europe
Founded in 1983 and based in Brussels, The Wall Street Journal Europe forms part of the world's leading business news franchise, which also includes The Wall Street Journal, The Wall Street Journal Asia and The Wall Street Journal Online at WSJ.com, the largest paid subscription news site on the Web. Together, these publications have a paid circulation of 2.7 million, providing business leaders around the world with unsurpassed coverage of global business news, edited from a local perspective - and hold 31 Pulitzer Prizes for outstanding journalism.

Published by Dow Jones & Company, The Wall Street Journal Europe draws on nearly 1,900 news staff, the largest network of business and financial news staff in the world, including more than 350 in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, working from 43 bureaus and serving 34 cities across the region.

According to the European Business Readership Survey (EBRS) 2004, The Wall Street Journal Europe has a higher concentration of senior management and high income earners than any international daily or weekly in its field. It is the only pan-European publication to have recorded double digit growth on both EMS 2005 and Europe 2005 over the past year.

The newspaper won seven awards in the World Leadership Forum's 2005 Business Journalist of the Year Awards, more than any other publication, and was named Best Global Business Media by international research institute Media Tenor last year.

On Oct. 17, 2005, The Wall Street Journal Europe changed to a compact format as part of a new, integrated print and online business-information solution. In addition to online, its content is available through a variety of formats, including mobile telephones, BlackBerry devices, MP3 players and in WiFi areas.

About Quest Media
Quest Media Limited is an independently owned business communication and media company which publishes a series of leading edge business magazines, develops prestigious Awards programmes and organises ground-breaking conferences and events with the express aim of promoting best practice and knowledge sharing. Quest Media established The National Business Awards as the premier annual celebration of business excellence, described by Gordon Brown Chancellor of the Exchequer as "the U.K.'s business Oscars".

Quest Media has a strategic intent of being an entrepreneurial business dedicated to fast growth, profitability and being recognised as best in class in its chosen activities.

Visit www.questmedia.com

For further information, please contact:
Kate Dobbin
Dow Jones & Company
Tel: +44 (0)20 7842 9684
Email: kate.dobbin@dowjones.com