Vanessa Sims has been promoted to group editor for Newsquest Cumbria – a role that was declared redundant last year.
Sims has been editor of Barrow-based daily The Mail since April 2018, having initially joined the paper from the Lancashire Telegraph as associate editor two months earlier.
The group editor role was made redundant in April 2018, leading to the exit of James Higgins, who left to set up his own PR agency called 32West. Newsquest’s other editors in the Cumbria region, including Chris Story of Carlisle daily the News & Star, will now report into Sims.
The company’s other titles include the Cumberland News, Workington Times & Star, Whitehaven News and Westmorland Gazette.
David Coates, regional managing director for Newsquest Cumbria, said: “Vanessa has done a great job since assuming responsibility for The Mail, integrating her team with our existing resources in South Lakeland and improving the sales and audience performance in print and online.”
Vanessa added: “I am immensely proud and honoured to take on this new role. This is an exciting opportunity to lead an outstanding team and a portfolio of highly respected titles.
“Newsquest Cumbria is a great place to work and the county a great place to live with strong independent communities at the heart of everything we do.”
