City AM editor Andy Silvester is leaving the free business newspaper after almost four years at the helm.
Silvester first joined City AM as deputy editor in September 2019 after a stint as Sun leader writer and PR chief. He became acting editor and then editor after the departure of the previous incumbent in the role Christian May.
The next editor of City AM has already been decided and will be announced “in due course”, the title said, to be in place by the end of the summer. A team of senior editors will lead City AM’s print and online output in the interim.
Silvester, whose last day is 18 July, has prided himself on putting out playful front covers (see below for a selection of his favourites) and nurturing young talent in the newsroom.
He said: “It’s been tremendous fun, a privilege, and above all an honour to work with some fantastic people. I’d especially like to thank our readers, old and new, who have helped us punch well above our weight. I have no doubt City AM will continue to prosper under new leadership.”
During his tenure Silvester has overseen the transition to a digital-first newsroom and a new website and the return of the print edition after it was forced into an 18-month hiatus by the Covid-19 pandemic and commuters staying at home.
Silvester and his team have staked their claim to have been the first to coin the term “TWAT” meaning people that, post-Covid, only go into the office on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. This working pattern led City AM to drop its Friday print edition in January last year.
Silvester also helped steer the ship amid City AM going into administration in July last year and then being bought by online beauty retailer THG, which saved all 40 editorial and commercial jobs.
Chief operating officer Harry Owen told Press Gazette in March that the business title subsequently broke even in the remaining months of 2023 after the takeover, grew to a headcount above 50, launched its first app, relaunched the City AM Magazine, and saw an increase in revenue of 12% in January and February compared to the same months last year.
Owen said on Wednesday: “Andy was instrumental in bringing City AM back into print, not least because of some unforgettable front covers – he’s one of the best in the business.
“He has also played a key role in the integration of City AM into THG – I’ve been very grateful for his support over this last year and wish him every success in the future.”
City AM had a print distribution of 68,108 in May, up 1% year-on-year and claimed to be “enjoying its highest sustained digital audience of 2.5m unique visitors a month” to its website.
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