A senior aide to former Prime Minister Gordon Brown has been named chief executive of Informa.

The company appointed Stephen Carter, now Lord Carter, following the announcement that long-time boss Peter Rigby would step down at the end of the year.

Carter has been on the board at the publishing, business information and events company since 2010. His former roles include chief executive at media regulator Ofcom and chief executive of PR firm Brunswick. He served in Downing Street as Brown’s chief of staff for nine months in 2008.