Private company

Centaur Media

British company

Centaur Media (LSE: CAU) was a London-based business information, events and marketing provider to professional and commercial markets. It currently operates through two segments: Xeim (marketing and communications), and The Lawyer. It was formed in 1981 by Graham Sherren, and was incorporated as a public limited company.² Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1981Founded¹

HeadquartersLondon¹
Listed onLondon Stock Exchange¹
Legal formPublic Limited Company³
LEI2138005WK87G7DQRQI62³
StatusActive³
LEI statusIssued and current³
Registered address10 YORK ROAD, SE1 7ND London, United Kingdom³
Registered withCompanies House, 04948078³

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The story

Centaur Media was traditionally associated with B2B print magazines such as Marketing Week, The Engineer and The Lawyer on a controlled circulation model. In the words of previous CEO Geoff Wilmot: "We're publishing the titles on behalf of the advertisers but maintaining editorial integrity. Our revenues came from display advertising, classified adverts and recruitment."

In 2011, Wilmot, who became CEO from 2006, described Centaur Media as a company in a process of change, both structurally and in relation to the emergence of digital media. “We used to describe ourselves as a federation of small businesses. Somebody once said: 'It's more like an archipelago of businesses with a lot of water in between.'" In this period, Centaur Media embarked on a restructuring programme after the recession, with investment in its exhibition and information arms.

Wilmot left Centaur in June 2013 along with the managing director of the business publishing division, Tim Potter, with Wilmot shelving a bid to take over the business in October 2013.

From Wikipedia’s article on Centaur Media, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.⁴

Acquisitions

MarketMakers

In July 2017, Centaur Media announced the acquisition of MarketMakers, a UK B2B marketing services business, for £13.4 million. However, in July 2020, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Centaur announced it was to close the MarketMakers business, with only its sister company, Really B2B, retained.

Home Interest division

In July 2017, Centaur Media sold its Home Interest portfolio to Future plc for £32 million, including Homebuilding & Renovating, Period Living and Real Homes.

Oystercatchers

On 21 September 2016, Centaur Media acquired brand consultancy company Oystercatchers for £3.35 million.

Xeim

On 22 January 2019, Centaur Media announced that it had brought its various marketing business under the name Xeim (derived from the term 'Excellence in marketing'), including Creative Review, Design Week, Econsultancy, Marketing Week and Oystercatchers.

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Financial services division

On 1 April 2019, Centaur Media announced that it had sold its financial services division, including Money Marketing, Mortgage Strategy, Platforum, Taxbriefs and Headline Money, to Metropolis Group for £5 million cash.

Centaur Media Travel and Meetings Limited

On 10 April 2019, Centaur Media announced that it had agreed the sale of Centaur Media Travel and Meetings Limited, owner of the Business Travel Show and The Meetings Show, to Northstar Travel Media UK Limited for £9.25 million. The sale was expected to be completed by 30 April 2019.

Centaur Human Resources Limited

On 16 April 2019, it was reported that Centaur Media had agreed the sale of Centaur Human Resources, which includes Employee Benefits, Employee Benefits Live, Employee Benefits Connect and Forum For Expatriate Management, to DVV Media International for a £5 million cash consideration. Completion of the disposal was expected to take place on 30 April 2019.

Festival of Marketing expands

On 1 May 2019, Xeim, Centaur Media's marketing division, announced that its annual Festival of Marketing would henceforth incorporate two previously standalone events, Marketing Week Live and The Insight Show. Festival of Marketing evolved to become a digital event in 2020, as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Engineering portfolio

On 9 May 2019, Centaur Media entered into a conditional agreement to sell its engineering portfolio, including The Engineer and the Subcon show, to Mark Allen Group for a £2.5 million cash consideration. The transaction was expected to complete by 31 May 2019.