AddThis SmartLayers

Mirror editor to oversee group's regional brands

The editor of the Daily Mirror is to have overall editorial responsibility for Trinity Mirror’s regional news brands in a bid to create a “more streamlined structure.”

Lloyd Embley has been promoted to the role of group editor-in-chief in a senior management restructure announced yesterday.

Neil Benson, the group’s editorial director, regionals, will now report directly to Lloyd while the regional editors, who previously reported to their respective regional MDs, will report to Neil.

Other changes will see Brian Aitken, due to step down as editor of Newcastle daily The Journal, leaving the business altogether. Brian had been due to take on a business development role with the group.

Trinity Mirror says the new sttructure will “simplify the decision making process for the group’s senior journalists, promote the exchange of best working practises and accelerate the growth of digital audiences.”

Chief executive Simon Fox, said: “We are making rapid progress as we accelerate our digital growth and I am confident that this new organisation will enable our editorial teams to deliver great content across multiple platforms while our commercial teams can focus solely on delivering market beating revenue performance across print and digital.”

The new regional management structure will see Simon Edgley become MD in the Midlands, Paul O’Halloran in Manchester and Huddersfield, Carl Wood in Merseyside and North Wales and Alan Edmunds in Cardiff.

Russell Borthwick is leaving his role as North East regional MD along with Brian Aitken and financial director Brian Green, with new MDs for Newcastle, Middlesbrough and TM’s South East titles still to be appointed.

The company also announced that Paul Vickers is stepping down as a director and as company secretary with immediate effect.

The full text of the company statement is as follows:


 

Trinity Mirror (TM) has today unveiled a new senior management structure in a move to create a more streamlined publishing operation.

The reorganisation is designed to benefit the group’s editorial output and commercial performance. There are a number of consequential organisational changes which result from this reorganisation including the departure of Paul Vickers, Company Secretary and Group Legal Director, the details of which have been announced separately.

Under the “One Trinity Mirror” vision, the changes will simplify the decision making process for the group’s senior journalists, promote the exchange of best working practises and accelerate the growth of digital audiences.

The new structure – which is summarised below – will also enable the commercial teams to fully focus on driving revenue across the TM portfolio by delivering market leading propositions to advertisers and clients.

Editorial

Lloyd Embley is promoted to the role of Group Editor-in-Chief and takes on editorial control of the national and regional news brands (with the exception of Media Scotland).

Neil Benson, Editorial Director, Regionals will now report to Lloyd, while all regional editorial teams will report directly to Neil.

Editorial Management

Neil Jagger, currently Group Newspaper Sales and Marketing Director, is appointed to the newly-created role of General Manager MGN. Neil retains his group newspaper sales accountability but takes on budgetary responsibility across the national news brands, including editorial management.

Aidan McGurran is appointed to the role of Managing Editor, MGN reporting to Neil. As a consequence Eugene Duffy will be leaving the business. Eugene started at the Daily Mirror as a casual reporter in 1986. Ten years later he was made News Editor and was in the hot seat for a raft of huge stories including the death of Diana, Dunblane, Omagh, Kosovo and the election of Tony Blair. After a spell as Associate Editor he was appointed Managing Editor in 2004. We are enormously grateful to him for his contribution to Trinity Mirror over this time.

Regional Commercial

Steve Anderson-Dixon is appointed to the new role of Regional Managing Director. The regional structure will move from three large regions to seven regional centres, each with a Managing Director reporting to Steve. The MDs will be responsible for the commercial performance of their centres

Russell Borthwick, Brian Aitken and Brian Green (all from the North East business) are also leaving the business as a result of this new structure and we thank them for their great contribution to Trinity Mirror.

Lloyd Embley, Allan Rennie, Steve Anderson-Dixon and Neil Jagger all have new reporting lines to Trinity Mirror Chief Executive Simon Fox, following the resignation of Mark Hollinshead who leaves the business next year.

Simon Fox said: “I’ve decided to put this new management team in place ahead of Mark’s departure so that we can benefit from his vast experience and ensure a smooth transition to this new structure.

“We are making rapid progress as we accelerate our digital growth and I am confident that this new organisation will enable our editorial teams to deliver great content across multiple platforms while our commercial teams can focus solely on delivering market beating revenue performance across print and digital.”

22 comments

You can follow all replies to this entry through the comments feed.
  • November 17, 2014 at 3:19 pm
    Permalink

    Incisive strategic thinking or thrashing about like a non-swimmer in a turbulent sea…you decide.

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(1)
  • November 17, 2014 at 3:23 pm
    Permalink

    Aye, and if my grandmother had wheels she’d be a wagon.

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(0)
  • November 17, 2014 at 3:29 pm
    Permalink

    “More streamlined structure.” Hmm, wonder what that could mean…

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(0)
  • November 17, 2014 at 3:33 pm
    Permalink

    “Rapid progress… accelerate digital growth… market beating (surely market-beating? Ed) revenue performance.. etc…” Hey, I like the sound of this stuff. Let’s get positive, Mirror people – if there’s actually any of you left other than suits.

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(1)
  • November 17, 2014 at 3:39 pm
    Permalink

    Glad it’s all musical desks at Canary Wharf, what a hoot those cheeky chappies have.
    In other news, Berkshire doesn’t have a single newspaper, Coventry doesn’t have an editor or sports editor, and Manchester and Newcastle are the only +ABC sellers. Spin that Simon Fox.

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(1)
  • November 17, 2014 at 4:26 pm
    Permalink

    Re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic – once again!
    Blah, blah, blah!!!

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(0)
  • November 17, 2014 at 5:47 pm
    Permalink

    Given that Fleet Street tabloids have always been a source of professional embarrassment for responsible regional journalists, is this really a formula for success, I wonder?
    ‘Pop star’s porn shame’ or ‘Kim’s bulging butt’ may not go down too well on page one of the Bumstead Bugle.
    However, best of luck with the latest desperation measure. I think you’re going to need it.

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(1)
  • November 17, 2014 at 7:24 pm
    Permalink

    Dave, we do still have a sports editor. But that’s about all.

    As for this new restructure, it just sounds like something that will allow our fabulous chiefs to suddenly realise there’s even more of the business to be destroyed further down the line.

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(0)
  • November 18, 2014 at 9:50 am
    Permalink

    How is devolving ‘three large regions to seven regional centres’ in any way a ‘streamlining’?

    Strikes me they’re also getting rid of a few seasoned journalists that have managed to join (or were about to) on the cosy commercial echelon.

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(1)
  • November 18, 2014 at 9:52 am
    Permalink

    Trinity Mirror chief executive Simon Fox crows about how successful his company is just when they are closing seven newspapers and throwing 50 people out of work.
    Then they bring in the editor of the Daily Mirror to streamline their regional titles. Will we see more bums and tits in Little Woking?
    Even the girl in the sweet shop down the road knows how false the Daily Mirror is…that it pretends to be a Labour paper….that it treats its readers as though they have the mental age of a 12-year-old…etc etc.
    British newspaper executives must be the most out of touch business people in the world…that’s why they use so much jargon to try and paper over the cracks.

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(1)
  • November 18, 2014 at 10:51 am
    Permalink

    So, Newcastle is now looking for its 7th MD in 5 and a half years. Will somebody please explain how this is good for those staff of us that are left, our customers and the credibility of Chief Executives who claim to know what they are doing. And what about the cost of all this ? MDs come in and then they’re paid off just a few months later. What does this say about the judgement of those hiring and firing ? What a mess.

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(0)
  • November 18, 2014 at 12:09 pm
    Permalink

    Not a surprise really. None of this is.
    Fact is print is in decline, digital is, supposedly “the way forward”.
    Mr Fox will bail when the iceberg has struck.

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(0)
  • November 18, 2014 at 12:11 pm
    Permalink

    “… and accelerate the growth of digital audiences.”

    That says it all – print is doomed In TM land!

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(0)
  • November 18, 2014 at 12:32 pm
    Permalink

    Your see nothing in Woking unfortunately as they just pulled out!!!

    I can’t fathom that there are now areas of West London that are highly affluent and have no free Newspapers now because of Trinity Mirror pulling out and as for the Brand to hand that has replaced it hmmmmmm it’s just another pile in a Supermarket!

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(0)
  • November 18, 2014 at 12:35 pm
    Permalink

    In other news, Dick Cheney has announced plans to streamline the Republican Guard.

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(0)
  • November 18, 2014 at 3:43 pm
    Permalink

    I get the impression TM wish to be Buzzfeed.

    Buzzfeed is worth a billion dollars going by some guesstimates.

    TM is er, not.

    Buzzfeed moved from clickbait all about the traffic shite to news, and TM is moving from news to er…!

    Anyone noticed how many ‘info’ pages are up there now on TM properties? Why is a regional newspaper gaming SERPs to get ranking for ‘sleeps to xmas’ etc, or what time is the liverpool game kicking off?

    Check https://www.google.co.uk/#q=site:mirror.co.uk+%22What+time%22 for a small example.

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(0)
  • November 18, 2014 at 5:13 pm
    Permalink

    I struggle to understand the acceleration towards centralisation of responsibility and decision-making. A national editor-in-chief running the regional brands; regional editors reporting not to their local MD but to a central regional editorial director in Neil Benson (perfectly decent chap, btw). Right when so many others are waking up to the benefits of devolved responsibility, local/regional accountability and the local market flexibility and commercial knowledge that that approach brings. I increasingly believe that journalism and newspapers are better (for their communities & staff) in local and independent ownership. I also think they’re probably better businesses, regardless of whether they’re making money from print or online. Such a shame that the agglomeration of the last 30 years has taken place. Fantasy thinking, I know. TM also need some serious PR advice. Announce the closure of 7 titles as a ‘bold’ move. FFS. And then announce this transparent deck chair rearrangement. I enjoyed Steve Dyson’s list of unanswered questions in today’s Guardian.

    http://www.theguardian.com/media/media-blog/2014/nov/18/trinity-mirror-digital-only-experiement-reading-berkshire

    Imagine what the Liverpool Echo or MEN newsroom would have made of such a stonewall response from their local council? It would be hilarious were it not for the very good people, supporting themselves and their families, facing a very difficult Christmas. Best of luck to them.

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(0)
  • November 18, 2014 at 11:27 pm
    Permalink

    RT I understand barely a word of that. Is anyone else as baffled as I am, or am I the only one being left behind in this rapidly changing world?

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(0)
  • November 19, 2014 at 12:53 pm
    Permalink

    As others highlight, yet another mystifying reshuffle on several levels, but this time on a grand scale, with the usual fallout of lost talent. For years Brian Aitken’s team increasingly fostered the illusion of being many more people than they were/are in defending editorial quality – in TM’s perspective this quality alone surely should have been retained. Very careless.

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(0)
  • November 19, 2014 at 4:04 pm
    Permalink

    Mr Hack I go on local and regional news websites to find news. It seems they are also being used as anchors for generic content to allow searchable terms to rank.

    http://usvsth3m.com/ is a successful traffic generator for TM, and congratulations to those involved.

    Is that what TM is to northern hacks such as yourself?

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(0)
  • November 20, 2014 at 8:41 am
    Permalink

    Still don’t understand. What’s an ‘anchor for generic content’ and what does ‘searchable terms to rank’ mean. Seriously – I don’t understand this modern speak. I still tend to use English.

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(1)
  • November 20, 2014 at 11:10 am
    Permalink

    Agree with your sentiment Northern Hack. I believe the divergence of language away from the real world began about the time ‘switch on the computer’ became ‘power the unit on’ – typewriters of course went on to become hot-seated work stations or whatever. We have been privileged to grow into fantastic technology but those who really do people this Newspeak world must have a tough time asking for a coffee when they go out, blinking, into the daylight. Talking of divergence from reality, in my comment above, the quality I was suggesting TM were careless to let go of was of the person (Brian Aitken), not of the editorial, fine people still work in that office and I was not commenting on the quality of their work – readers will be judging that, be they readers of digital or print output. Any half decent sub would of course have pointed out the ambiguity of my words.

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(1)