June 22, 2015updated 23 Jun 2015 1:20pm

As Michael Gillard leaves Sunday Times for Buzzfeed, Daily Mirror’s David Collins joins Insight

Daily Mirror special correspondent David Collins has joined The Sunday Times’s Insight Team.

News of the move comes on the same say that Buzzfeed announced the recruitment of veteran Sunday Times journalist Michael Gillard.

He has joined the investigations team led by former Sunday Times Insight journalist Heidi Blake, who joined Buzzfeed earlier this year. Also on the team is Jane Bradley, formerly of BBC Panorama, and Tom Warren, who was taken on from the Bureau of Investigative Journalism.

On his move, Collins (pictured right) said: "After close to nine years at the Daily Mirror I have accepted a role at The Sunday Times Insight Team. I am extremely excited about joining the team led by Jonathan Calvert, which has such a formidable reputation, and look forward to working with the fantastic journalists over there.

"In particular I'd like to thank Mirror editor in chief Lloyd Embley for all the help he's given me down the years, Peter Willis, Gary Jones, Paul Henderson, and all the many others who make the Mirror what it is."

Collins' big stories for the Mirror included uncovering evidence which helped secure the conviction of Levi Bellfield for the murder of Milly Dowler.

Blake tweeted this afternoon: “Utterly thrilled to announce that the brave and brilliant Michael Gillard is joining Buzzfeed’s UK investigations team from The Sunday Times.”

In 2013, Gillard was named Journalist of the Year, and won Investigation of the Year, at the British Journalism Awards for his work exposing gangster David Hunt. He was unable to accept the award in person, partly because security concerns prevented him making public appearances in London.

Last week, it was announced that former Guardian US and website editor Janine Gibson was to become editor-in-chief of Buzzfeed UK.