A regional publisher has unveiled its first ever chief executive as an editorial boss prepares to step down from the company.

DC Thomson has unveiled Rebecca Miskin as CEO to oversee its entire media operation.

The announcement of Rebecca’s appointment comes after Richard Neville, the group’s head of newspapers, revealed he will be leaving his role at the end of the year.

Richard, pictured, will retain an advisory role with DC Thomson in which he will work with Sunday Post editor Jim Wilson to expand the title’s reach and the editors of the company’s dailies “on their mission and vision for their titles”.

A former editor of Dundee daily The Courier, he took on his most recent role in 2019 and has overseen the ‘Apollo’ restructure of DC Thomson’s newsrooms there and in Aberdeen.

In his LinkedIn post, Richard wrote: “I am extremely proud of the transformation of DC Thomson’s newsrooms but the time is right to expand my horizons as the DCT team move on to the next phase of their transformation.

“In January I will be going out on my own looking or opportunities in media consultancy, newsroom change and digital transformation. And anything else that comes my way.”

Rebecca joined DC Thomson as chief strategy and transformation officer in summer 2020.

In her new role, she will be charged with overseeing the company’s entire media operation, including its news titles, radio stations and special interest publications.

Rebecca said: “DC Thomson was founded on creativity and entrepreneurialism. As the company transforms to prepare itself for the future, it is my mission to nurture that spirit.

“Throughout DC Thomson’s history, its ability to continually recognise the wants and needs of audiences has created successful brands that have grown and evolved.

“Now more than ever, readers, listeners and viewers want to feel a togetherness that comes from shared experiences.

“To survive and grow, we have to do more than just attract customers, we need to create loyal and long-lasting communities and we will achieve that by investing in technology, data and talent.”

Prior to joining DC Thomson, Rebecca was digital strategy director at Hearst, general manager at NBC Universal and commercial director at Time Inc.

DC Thomson chairman Christopher Thomson said: “Rebecca’s appointment as CEO is a crucial part of our transformation strategy, which looks afresh at how we can inform, entertain and delight audiences now and in the future.

“She will be supported by an experienced leadership team drawn from across the group to create engaging content and experiences that truly connect with our audiences.

“As a board, we are investing in technology and talent to support this plan, which will make sure we have the right skills and experience across our media business to create the engine for growth.”

A DC Thomson spokesman told HTFP: “We can confirm that Richard Neville will be stepping down from his role as head of news brands at the end of this year. We are pleased that he will continue to work with DC Thomson in an advisory role.

“The DC Thomson board would like to thank Richard for his incredible contribution over the past 18 years, not least the outstanding work he has done as the architect of our newsroom transformation project Apollo and securing our position within the Google News Initiative.

“With Richard Neville moving to an advisory role, Tom Miller, our chief transformation officer, will oversee the Apollo transformation strategy, while our editors will continue to lead on editorial strategy.

“Tom played a leading role in the digital transformation of the Sunday Times as an editorial director and we are confident that the blend of his skills with those of our talented editors and journalists will keep us on track to succeed with the next phase of Apollo.”