A former Johnston Press director is set to return to the regional press in a new role with Trinity Mirror.
Nick Mills, pictured left, has been unveiled as the company’s new regional managing director for Devon and Cornwall.
Nick previously spent a decade with Johnston Press, before leaving in May 2014 to work as a self-employed business consultant.
After joining JP in 2004, he spent time as managing director of its Midlands Division and the Yorkshire Weekly Newspaper Group.
Between 2011 and 2014, he was the company’s publishing operations director.
In Devon and Cornwall, Nick will be taking over from Mark Sainsbury, who was recently appointed regional MD of TM’s South Wales publishing business.
Mark was appointed to his new position as part of a wider management restructure involving former Local World titles bought by Trinity Mirror.
Steve Anderson-Dixon, chief operating officer of Trinity Mirror Regionals, said: “Nick will be a great addition to our business. He brings with him a wealth of knowledge and publishing experience and I’m confident he’ll be a great asset to the Cornwall and Devon business.”
Nick will take up his new position on Monday 11 April.
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I know Nick. He’s a good guy and will do a great job.
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How adept is he at reporting/subbing/photography? Or is this just another suit on a big salary? No matter how good a guy, and I’m sure Nick is just that, TM seems top-heavy with management possessing no specific media skills which, for all its faults, LW never was. Let’s rehire pro photographers rather take on more mouse-clickers.
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EX JP. Mmmmmmm……
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A very good hire.
Oh, and grow up Dick Minim.
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I am wondering why if he’s been working as a ‘self employed business consultant ‘ since his last job at JP, is he doing a U turn and going back to the regional press?
Surely consultation work is a very lucrative line of business for those who are experts in their fields and know their stuff?
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Sorry, voice of reason, for expressing my preference for productive staff at a media outfit. I realise that for some the ideal structure would be a grey ocean of “suits” (predominantly male) in “executive” roles scheduling meetings with each other, and all on at least £65k. If you can tell me how Nick will directly help to generate profit for TM – the sole reason for its existence – then I’ll be convinced. No, there’s not enough margin in this business now to sustain NHS-like levels of bureaucracy. If the same intensity of rationalising zeal was brought to bear on these roles as it is to relevantly skilled and experienced staff who actually create the profit-generating products then I’d think there is some justice. But there’s little chance of that.
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Nick is a top man who knows his stuff. Great hire.
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Well said Dick
The industry is weighed down by a top heavy management structure as it is,another middle manager added into the mix will not reverse the trend of papers in free fall and record low ad revenues. However as he has had first hand experience of the ‘consultation process’ at JP and two years as a management / business consultant, the expectations on him will be for immediate and sustainable growth from the off for which we can only wish him the best of luck
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A job’s a job.
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…..and he’s gone straight in at number 3 in the SW Power 150.
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Great hire! Is that AmeriCAN cos it sure as hell ain’t Ingleesh
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Ken: yes, this is a tricky one because it sounds as if I’m having a pop at Nick personally, which is far from the case, and I too wish him well in the job as it seems going it alone didn’t work out for him. But my point is that the job is unnecessary, especially at a time when TM Regionals is shedding staff photographers, for example. For the record, I don’t begrudge TM top boss Simon Cox his £2.3m either, though surely £1m of that could be better invested in the products. Does anyone actually need £2.3m a year? Having said that, I might find it hard to turn it down if offered.
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Makes you wonder why if he set himself up as a business consultant he chooses to go back to the regional press frying pan?
most ‘business consultants’ worth their salt in my experience make a good enough living without any of the internal politics and high pressure that comes with a job in an organisation,but I guess in troubled times any port in a storm will do
As has been said previously the expectations on him to achieve growth and stabilise falling copy sales will be a key performance indicator and will be ultimately how he will be judged and for that we wish him well
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Jobs for the boys.
Round and round they go.
Just sack a few more monkeys to pay his inflated salary and expenses.
There you go.
Next.
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I worked for Nick when he led the JP operation in the Midlands. A true professional. One of the best and the calibre of manager needed to tackle the ills of our industry.
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Dick Minim; you are a true comedian. I suspect your entire routine is one big social media experiment that will one day be revealed in all its glory across the feature pages of The Guardian – entitled “How I spent 3 years doing precious little else but trolling journalists for fun….”
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It doesn’t matter. It’s all broken.
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Keith Ridley; “a true professional” who JP sacked. Hmm…
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Er, great theory Roger That, but I’m not picking up on the “trolling journalists” theme in a thread where I extol journalists and other front line creative staff over hapless suits. But I went to Leeds once and I found folk there so clever that I was all at sea for most of my visit. Ay-up lad.
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No wonder he got out of JP. He obviously could no longer tolerate disgraceful standards from management who neither know nor care. The only aspect of JP that increased was the price of the ‘news’papers! Shame on the lot if them.
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I have worked with him on a number of projects and know he will have no problem making an impact in his new role, as for those questioning his ability he has a wealth of knowledge and is exactly the sort of person to roll his sleeves up and get stuck in.
I wish him all the best in his new roll.
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