Editor Dominic Mohan has left The Sun to take on a role as senior advisor to News Corp chief executive Robert Thomson.
Former Scottish editor of the paper David Dinsmore will take over the top job at The Sun on Monday.
Mohan has been with the paper for 17 years, taking over the editorship from Rebekah Brooks in 2009. He will continue to be based in London, News International said.
Mohan said: “It has been a real privilege to edit the Sun, an intrinsic part of modern Britain, loved by its readers and unmatched by its rivals. I am proud of the way we have informed and amused our readers in recent years and also campaigned on their behalf in difficult economic times. I would like to thank my peerless staff for the creativity and spark they have brought to the paper day after day.
“I am confident The Sun will go from strength to strength, and now look forward to a new challenge of helping a brand new company find its feet and build a strong future for its journalism across the globe."
News International chief executive Mike Darcey said: “Dominic brought real imagination and flair to The Sun, maintaining its formidable reputation for exclusive news, sport and showbiz with wit, wisdom and insight. David Dinsmore is ideally placed to take the team to even higher levels. He has a proven track record on the paper over two decades and has recently helped steer the Premier League project with great skill and vision.
“These are exciting times for our company, with new leadership on all our titles and an executive team that has been transformed in recent years. We will join the new News Corp next week in a strong, determined and confident position and I have no doubt that we will secure a sustainable future for the world-class journalism we all cherish."
The shake-up comes ahead of News International parent company News Corp's split into two separately listed businesses on 28 June: publishing division News Corp and entertainment arm 21st Century Fox.
Glaswegian Dinsmore, 44, became editor of the of the Scottish edition of The Sun in 2006 before becoming general manager of operations north of the border four years later. He joined the executive team at News International last October as director of operations. He first joined the Scottish Sun in 1990.
He said: “There is no better job in journalism than editing Britain's most popular paper. I relish the opportunity to build on the historic strengths of the Sun, and harness new digital opportunities to offer our loyal readers more than ever. Our exclusive rights to show mobile football clips of the Premier League will be a major enhancement this summer and a sign of more to come.”
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