The executive who led the Evening Standard's successful switch from paid-for to free distribution is leaving newspapers to join business publisher Informa as chief executive of its Knowledge and Networking division.
Andrew Mullins was made managing director of the Evening Standard in 2006 and is now group managing director of the Standard, Independent titles and the TV station London Live.
Mullins will remain as a non executive director on the boards of Evening Standard Limited, Independent Print Limited and Evening Standard Television Limited.
Mullins said: "I have had an incredible seven years working with the teams of the Evening Standard, Independent and London Live and it has been a privilege to do so. Some truly remarkable commercial and editorial people have achieved truly astonishing results over those years and I will genuinely miss working with such brilliant people. I know I leave the business in very capable hands."
Independent owner Evgeny Lebedev said: "I am very grateful to Andy Mullins for his exceptional leadership over the past seven years. In that time the Evening Standard has turned a £20m operating loss into a profit. We have launched the i paper, which now outsells The Guardian, and reduced losses for Independent Print Limited from over £20m to our target of £5m this year. These undertakings – both hugely ambitious and difficult – would not have happened without him.
“As a result of our hard work, both the Evening Standard and the Independent titles are on a stable footing. ESI Media is at a key stage in its development into a fully integrated company, operating 24/7 across print, digital and now television, with big audiences at city, national and international level. My family has spent close to £100m on British journalism and we are committed to taking this exciting group of brands from strength to strength.”
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