Three senior executives have left Local World as part of a management shake-up at the regional publisher.
Executive directors Rich Mead and Karen Wall, along with interim executive director Steve Brown, have left the company while finance director Rachel Addison has been promoted to the newly created role of chief operating officer.
Lisa Gordon, a non-executive director at Local World, has joined as corporate development director.
A statement from Local World said: “The changes announced are aimed to help our ambitions to fully integrate transformation with the operating businesses. This should bring content, commerce and technology together to deliver a carefully planned, coordinated and well-executed strategy.
“The new structure means we say goodbye to Rich Mead, Karen Wall and Steve Brown, who are all highly professional, experienced and talented media operators, with Mead and Wall being former Assistant MDs at Metro.”
Mead and Wall were said to be key lieutenants of chief executive Steve Auckland when Local World was formed at the turn of the year through the merger of his Northcliffe Media stable with Iliffe News and Media.
Mead’s responsibilities included overseeing the West Country, South Wales and south-east England titles, while Wall was responsible for talent, marketing and communications.
Brown was executive director for the North, with responsibility for publications in the North and the Midlands.
Local World staff were told of the reorganisation in an email today, described by one insider as a “state of the nation” address from chairman David Montgomery.
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