Murdoch MacLennan has stepped down from his role at the Telegraph nine months after moving from chief executive to deputy chairman.
He remains a non-executive director.
MacLennan headed up the Telegraph business for some 13 years, returning relatively healthy profits to owners the Barclay brothers.
But there have also been successive waves of cost-cutting with hundreds of journalists sacked as the title has tried to transition from being a print to digital brand.
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In July last year MacLennan was made chairman of the Scottish Professional Football League. He is also chairman of Press Association.
In a statement, MacLennan said: “I can confirm that I am no longer deputy chairman but I remain a non-executive director at the Telegraph, which will also enable me to focus on my other roles as chairman of the Press Association Group, Independent News and Media and the Scottish Professional Football League.”
MacLennan was replaced as Telegraph Media Group chief executive by Nick Hugh in June last year.
The following month the business revealed a sharp drop in operating profit from £48.3m in 2015 to £32.2m in 2016.
Turnover dropped to £295.5m in 2016 from £314.6m a year earlier.
Though making no direct reference to MacLennan, former Telegraph columnist Tim Walker wrote today on Twitter: “Sometimes in the world of newspapers the departure of a leading executive makes the air seem a lot fresher all of a sudden.”
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