A former regional daily business editor has taken an ownership stake in a comms and marketing agency as part of a series of new appointments.

Ryan Crighton, one-time chief reporter and business editor of Aberdeen daily the Press & Journal, is joining communications, public affairs, business advocacy and marketing firm True North as a senior partner.

Since leaving day-to-day journalism, Ryan has been director of marketing at law firm Aberdein Considine and more recently director of policy and marketing at the Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce.

As part of his new role at True North he will take an ownership stake in the business.

Said Ryan: “I am hugely excited about joining True North as it launches new service lines and embarks on an exciting new chapter.

“I look forward to offering my own expertise and experience alongside the rest of the team for the benefit of our clients and the wider Scottish economy.”

Ryan is one of four new expert advisors at True North which also include Allister Thomas the former editor of B2B news platform Energy Voice.

He said: “It’s been impressive to see the journey True North has been on since its inception and I’m delighted to be coming aboard as it moves into its next phase of growth.”

The True North team is pictured below.

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Press watchdog IPSO has welcomed the former Times and Sunday Times editor John Witherow as a new member of its board.

Before stepping down in 2022, John was the longest serving national newspaper editor in Britain, having edited The Sunday Times from 1995-2013 and The Times from 2013.

IPSO chair Lord Faulks said: “We are delighted to welcome John Witherow to IPSO’s Board. John has long been a strong supporter of independent regulation to protect both the public and freedom of expression – demonstrating that print and digital news publishers can uphold high standards without the need for measures that would undermine press freedom.”

John added: “I regard independent self-regulation of the press as essential to maintain high editorial standards and as an important bulwark against encroachments on the freedom of expression. The news industry has changed dramatically – and IPSO’s regulatory approach has strengthened freedom of expression and raised standards to the benefit of the public.”

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Multimedia publisher DC Thomson has appointed a new executive leader for its history business which includes genealogy website findmypast.

Lee Wilkinson will add the role to his existing position as the company’s chief information officer.

Rebecca Miskin, CEO of DC Thomson’s trading business, said: “Lee’s appointment comes at a crucial point in our transformation strategy. 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.

“Findmypast plays an integral part in our communities strategy and our ambitious growth plans to build a subscription-based business with purpose.”

Lee commented: “As someone who has spent many happy hours on the genealogy hobby, involving many visits to archives across the UK, I consider myself very privileged to lead the DC Thomson History business.

“As a product and technology leader with a deep passion for British history and heritage, I find it an incredible honour to contribute to the preservation and digitisation of our past.”

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The local news media industry’s award-winning Public Notice Portal has hit the milestone of one million users.

Designed to complement local media’s coverage of public notices in print, the portal has seen steady growth in traffic with research showing it is taking public notices to a younger audience.

Research from OnePoll conducted for the News Media Association found that usage of the portal is highest among the 25-34 age group (16 per cent) and 18-24s (10 per cent), compared to the UK average of seven per cent.

The survey also found that local news media in print and digital (41 per cent) remains the number one platform used by the UK public to view public notices, ahead of local authority websites (29 per cent), social media (28 per cent) and printed mailouts (26 per cent).

NMA chief executive Owen Meredith said: “Placing public notices in local news media remains the best way to ensure that everyone can access the important information contained within them in a fair and uniform way.

“The statutory requirement on councils to advertise public notices in printed newspapers ensures that those who are digitally excluded can access the notices. Meanwhile, the notices also gain significant reach online through the news websites of local papers and the portal, further strengthening the industry’s offering and public engagement.”

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An outgoing MP has praised an editor in his final Commons speech.

Retiring Tory MP for Harlow Robert Halfon described Your Harlow editor Michael Casey as a “special individual” as he bowed out of Parliament last week.

Mr Halfon said: “The reason why he is such a special individual is that we used to have three local newspapers in our town, they went to every home.

“This man set up an internet newspaper which now has literally millions of hits. He gives me a hard time which is his right but if it wasn’t for him we would have no local news in Harlow.”

Commented Michael: “Rob and I have had our moments but I have always appreciated his support for local newspapers. He has always agreed to be interviewed and never ducked a challenge.

“He has also stood up a number of times in parliament, championing the cause of local newspapers across the country. Whoever replaces him will have big shoes to fill.”

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A former Stoke Sentinel journalist has launched a new content marketing agency aimed at local businesses.

Sam Wilcox has launched Purpose Comms after being made redundant last year from Reach plc, where she was executive creative director from 2014-2023.

Sam, who worked at the Sentinel in the early 2000s, is targeting businesses who ‘want to create content but don’t know where to start.’

The company also has a commitment to social impact and sustainability, with a percentage of all client fees going towards supporting charitable causes and nurturing young creatives in the North West.

Said Sam: “We’re a collective of award winning content creators and our mission is simple: to make content better for businesses, audiences, and communities.

“Lots of businesses want to create content but aren’t sure where to start. We believe an authentic brand story, a cohesive content strategy with a purpose-led narrative will give content the cut through in a world that’s inundated with digital noise.”