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Former Local World boss Auckland moves on again

Former boss of Local World Steve Auckland is to take over as chief executive of Evgeny Lebedev’s stable of national newspapers.

Steve Auckland left the regional publisher last autumn and within weeks was back in his old job as chief executive of Metro.

However he is now moving on again to the role of CEO of ESI Media which includes the London Evening Standard, the Independent and ‘i.’

Ironically the three titles, all owned by the Lebedev family, are based in the same Kensington offices as both Metro and Local World.

Steve’s appointment comes less than a week after former chief executive Andrew Mullins announced his resignation from ESI to take on a new position at Informa.

He admitted it had been a tough decision to leave Metro where he was managing director for nearly a decade before moving to LW, and for a further seven months after re-joining the title in December.

Said Steve: “This has been a heart-breaking decision for me to make. Everyone realises my love for Metro and the people who make that business.

“I can’t believe how much we’ve achieved in the last six months: it’s been one of the highlights of my career.

“However, the lure to work on such iconic brands and build upon the excellent work from Andy and the team at ESI Media was just too strong.

” I’ve been really impressed by Justin Byam Shaw and Evgeny Lebedev’s ambitions for the group and this makes the position even more enticing…I can’t wait to get started!”

Evgeny Lebedev added:  “We are ready to take our businesses to their next phase of growth and development and I am delighted to welcome Steve on board to drive this next phase for our brands.”

Steve will be charged with developing the London Evening Standard into a multi-platform media brand, continuing the transition of the Independent titles into a mixture of print and digital and boosting the performance of local TV channel, London Live.

  • Update:  Metro publisher dmg media has announced that Charlie Cox will take over as interim managing director of Metro Newspapers with immediate effect.

Kevin Beatty, chief executive of dmg media said: “I am delighted to announce the appointment of Charlie Cox as interim managing director of Metro Newspapers with immediate effect. Charlie is a seasoned media executive who has a long association with the group.

“In 1993, he set up and ran DMGT’s commercial radio business and after selling it to the GWR group, in which DMGT retained a significant stake, left the group to join The Carphone Warehouse.

“He has had an on-going connection to the group working on a variety of projects including Teletext and more recently Metro Play.”

 

5 comments

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  • July 16, 2014 at 6:44 pm
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    Fabulous news! The Big Man is not just back…he’s back with a bang. Boom!

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  • July 16, 2014 at 6:47 pm
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    A man that really knows the industry. He and Mike Pennington are fondly remembered as a great team by many ex-YPN staff I know. Best wishes Steve: a loss for Metro.

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  • July 16, 2014 at 11:04 pm
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    Couldn’t agree more with JPCCV. A visit to the newsroom from Steve and Penny was usually a show-stopper, if only to get the earplugs in. Best of luck Steve.

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  • July 17, 2014 at 6:44 pm
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    Steve is that rarity among executives, a newspaperman to the core. He values journalists and was a supportive colleague in Leeds. He also possesses another rare attribute among executives: common sense. Good luck to him.

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  • July 21, 2014 at 9:11 pm
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    Best Wishes Steve – An Industry Man…. I couldn’t think of a better choice !!
    Previous Local World General Manager !! – Good Luck to you !!

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