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Regional editor takes on national role as Reach restructure continues

Chris Sherrard newA regional editor has been promoted to a new national role as part of Reach plc’s company-wide restructure.

Chris Sherrard, who currently edits Belfast Live, has been unveiled as the publisher’s audience and content director for Ireland after John Kierans, editor of the Daily Mirror in Ireland, stepped down with immediate effect.

Chris, pictured, becomes the eighth appointee to the role of geographic audience and content director, which has been introduced by Reach in a restructure after the company revealed it will be shedding around 550 roles due to the impact of the coronavirus crisis.

The directors will be responsible for running local newsrooms and local editors will report to them under the company’s new structure.

The announcement comes as the Reach chapel of the National Union of Journalists revealed it had passed a vote of no confidence in senior management over the way that the collective consultation process has been organised as part of the restructure.

In a message to staff, group editor-in-chief Lloyd Embley and chief operating officer Alan Edmunds said Chris, a former editor of the Mirror in Northern Ireland who has more recently been responsible for looking after Reach’s new Yorkshire Live brand too, had “played a pivotal role in the creation and expansion of our Live network of websites and is the perfect candidate for this challenging new position”.

Chris will report to chief audience officer David Higgerson in his new role.

Announcing his own departure, John said: “The sudden death of my father Johnny a few weeks ago has led me to reconsider many things in my life.

“Consequently I have had a long hard think about what I wanted to do with the rest of my day career. I have now decided to step down as editor of the Mirror in Ireland, with immediate effect.

“I am and always will be a Mirror man. I love the paper, our websites and the many wonderful colleagues I have had the privilege of working with over the last 25 years.

“I leave the business in great shape with 87pc of Irish people reading our stories in print or on our websites every single day.”

John will continue his association with the Mirror by writing a new weekly column.

He added: “To every Mirror journalist in Ireland and Britain: thank you for your professionalism – you are the best in the business. I am very pleased that one of our most talented protégé Chris Sherrard will be running the Irish business.

“He will build his own wonderful legacy and I wish him every success. I know the Reach executive team including Jim Mullen, Lloyd Embley and Alan Edmunds will continue to grow the business as they care passionately about the brand, its people and the product.”

Discussing the Reach chapel’s vote of no confidence, NUJ national coordinator Chris Morley said: “Reach plc has embarked on a massive cull of its journalistic talent with more than 300 editorial roles likely to be cut in the coming weeks.

“Our members recognised some realignment to revenues was on the way after the economic collapse in the economy due to Covid-19, but the confusion sown by lack of reliable information has been devastating to members trying to understand what it will mean for them and their families.

“All the hard graft and huge flexibility shown by members to support the company at the most vulnerable time in its history look to result in P45s for many but worse, they feel they are not being shown the due respect they deserve as the company cuts its costs.

“The greatest hurt is being taken by our Local World members who are being told that they will be made redundant on the barest minimum that Britain’s biggest independent news publisher can get away with. They, understandably, feel like second class employees.

“We don’t think this is befitting for a company of the size, dominance and reputation of Reach plc and we will be talking hard and straight to management at all levels during this process about how this should change – and quickly – to preserve the good name of the company.”

In response, a Reach spokeswoman said: “We continue to engage in a full consultation process with colleagues and unions about these difficult but necessary changes.

“Reach would continue to employ over 2,000 journalists after any changes so remain committed to journalism and our news titles.”