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Ex-regional daily editor takes up director role with publisher

Alison HastingsA former daily newspaper editor has been made a non-executive director by a regional publisher.

Archant has announced the appointment of Alison Hastings, left, who edited Newcastle daily The Chronicle, Newcastle for six years from 1996 until 2002.

Alison spent more than 18 years as a journalist and was first made editor of The Chronicle at the age of 29.

Subsequently she was a founding trustee of the BBC Trust, has worked as a Press Complaints Commissioner, and is currently a non-executive director for a number of organisations.

Said Alison: “I am really excited to be joining the Board of a genuinely progressive local media company.

“The recent launch of The New European demonstrated Archant’s innovative approach – something I am looking forward to experiencing first hand.”

Archant chairman Simon Bax added: “This is a great appointment for Archant and I look forward to welcoming Alison to the company.

“She brings not only a wealth of experience within the industry, but has also worked closely with companies going through digital transformations, making her the perfect choice to join our board at a time of significant change.”

Alison will take up her new role on 1 September.

10 comments

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  • August 4, 2016 at 12:29 pm
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    hurrah!
    more managers,non exec. directors and chiefs,just what we need

    forget all the doom and gloom around the buisness watch those profits soar now

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  • August 4, 2016 at 1:57 pm
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    One non executive director in , six experienced photographers out
    Nice one

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  • August 4, 2016 at 7:22 pm
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    Hmm. I wonder what fee will be paid by Archant to this non-executive director so important that she is splashed all over HTFP?
    Maybe it amounts to roughly the sum of the wages of six experienced photographers?
    I think we should be told Juan Archanto, don’t you?

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  • August 5, 2016 at 12:06 am
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    Yay! Another non-job. All hail the digital revolution.

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  • August 5, 2016 at 12:55 pm
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    Alison’s a good operator but doesn’t have a magic wand. The sad truth is we’re all doomed, bar a digital skeleton staff.

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  • August 5, 2016 at 1:22 pm
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    I wouldn’t knock this. It’s an experienced editorial voice and what’s more, a female on the Archant board – currently very much under-represented at board and higher management levels, and not just in that business.
    We have enough pseudo-blokey blokes running around in digital circles while most purchase decisions – of both the products and advertising responses – are led by women.

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  • August 5, 2016 at 2:08 pm
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    I would imagine all the photographers dumped out of the business in favour of ‘curated’ RGC or replaced by junior reporters issued with camera phones will wish her well in this exciting jolly wheeze.

    Her llast role in PR will come in handy soon as I see she has experience in working with “….clients facing difficult situations”.

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  • August 6, 2016 at 11:46 pm
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    Good to see someone with newspaper nous joining the team at Archant, for too many years they have been led by accountants who should not be leading media strategy. Amazed that some of these leaders are still there.

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