Former Daily Mail managing editor Lawrence Sear has postponed his
retirement in Italy to take up a three-month consultancy contract at
the Daily Telegraph.
Sear is following his former boss at
Associated Newspapers, Murdoch MacLennan, who joined Telegraph Group as
chief executive in September.
Sear took up the position on Monday
and is understood to be working closely with editorial director Kim
Fletcher – but he said it was too early to say exactly what his new
role will be.
He said: “I was literally on my way to Italy, where
I was looking forward to retiring, when Murdoch MacLennan phoned up and
said there’s great fun, good challenges to be had and an exciting time
for the Telegraph – come and help us for a few months.”
Sear, 56,
left the Mail in December after 11 years at the paper. He has
previously been editorial director of Eastern Counties Newspapers and
editor of the Eastern Daily Press.
MacLennan has axed a number of
senior figures on the commercial side of Telegraph Group, including
managing director Hugo Drayton, finance director Niamh
O’Donnell-Keenan, commercial director Mark Payne, sales director Chris
White-Smith and marketing director Mark Dixon. He has yet to make any
major editorial changes.
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