A former Johnston Press editor is returning to the company after a two-year break in a newly-created senior editorial role.

Nicola Furbisher, left, a former editor of the Derbyshire Times and deputy editor of the Yorkshire Evening Post, is to become managing editor of Johnston Press Yorkshire.

In her new role, Nicola will effectively become the number two to newly-appointed YP and YEP editor Jeremy Clifford.

She left the Derbyshire Times in 2011 to move to Brussels where her husband John Furbisher, a former Sheffield Star editor, works as a press officer in the European Parliament.

Nicola’s appointment, together with that of a new assistant editor in Ian Day, was announced by Jeremy in an email to staff yesterday.

He said:  “Nicola will be well known to many of you from her time working at the Yorkshire Post and Yorkshire Evening Post, experience that will be invaluable in helping us to continue the process of integrating the way we work and in developing the content of our business.

“As a former group editor of Wilfred Edmunds newspapers and editor of the Derbyshire Times, she brings with her experience that will help to strengthen the management structure to enable us to bring more focus to developing the business.

“She will work across both titles in Leeds, helping to manage the day to day operation, deputising for me, co-ordinating all of our publishing activity across editorial, advertising and newspaper sales, and extending our brands into the community, a vital role to ensure we retain our relevance.”

Jeremy said that Ian, previously in charge of the photographic operation at the two titles, would “bring great experience to the editorial team.”

“As well as remaining in charge of our picture desk operations and driving forward social and video media, Ian’s role will include identifying greater ways of sharing content, helping to shape the strategic development of both our titles and looking at the different workflows we need to adapt to for our transformation to a multimedia business,” he said.

The two appointments follow a spate of departures at the papers in the wake of Peter Charlton’s decision to stand down as editor, including that of the previous YP assistant editor Andrew Vine.

Nicola will rejoin the company on 7 October.