Ed Walker, who has played a “key part” in Reach’s digital transformation, is leaving the company after 13 years.
Walker is currently audience and content director (audience delivery) and has recently been working with the Mirror, Express and Irish Star teams in the US on their American launches and overseeing the publisher’s video and podcasts strategy on an interim basis.
After joining Reach (then Trinity Mirror) in 2010 on the Wales Online digital team, Walker’s roles have included: leading several of the regional Live site launches, leading the central editorial team, launching the network content team Tendendo, and creating the late newsdesk service Night Owl which helps dozens of regional titles publish into the evening.
Before his current role, Walker was the first editor-in-chief at local aggregator In Your Area, which in April had an audience of 4.8 million people according to Ipsos iris data.
Walker said in a statement: “Thank you to everyone who has made my time at Reach such an incredible experience. I have chosen to leave as it’s time for me to have a reset, both personally and professionally.
“I will always be thankful for the support, friendship, generosity and creativity my colleagues in all departments at Reach have shown over the years.
“I’ve been lucky to be able to work with dozens of newsrooms across the country throughout that time and learn from the best in the business about all the different types of journalism through good times and tough times. “I wish everyone at Reach all the very best with the years to come and I’m looking forward to seeing what comes in the next chapter for me. I know I’ve had a first-class grounding in all things media, journalism and business to take with me from my time here.”
Reach chief digital publisher David Higgerson said: “Ed’s contribution to our digital journey so far can’t be overstated. From leading our first digital-only brand in Reading through to spearheading In Your Area’s first growth acceleration, Ed has helped shape the digital journalism we do across the business in so many ways.”
And Paul Rowland, editorial director of the Live network and former Wales Online editor, said: “It says it all about Ed’s contribution to what is now the Live Network that there’s literally never been a regional digital operation at Reach that he hasn’t been a central part of.
“Ed’s fingerprints are across so much of what we do today, and the huge scale of the audiences that we reach today are in no small part due to his unwavering commitment, drive and passion for local and regional digital journalism.”
Walker’s last day at Reach will be on Friday 30 June.
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