Reach plc has appointed David Higgerson to its executive committee in the newly created role of chief digital publisher. Higgerson was previously deputy editor-in-chief (audience and customer).
Higgerson will continue to lead on audience delivery, but will expand his role to cover readership diversification, with an immediate focus on youth audience and video strategy and a new launch in this area to come later this year. He will report directly to Chief Executive Officer Jim Mullen.
Higgerson said: “The evidence is clear that today’s youngest audiences need a different approach to news and I’m excited to lead the charge on building a home for news for generations to come. To this end we’ll be investing not only in content but also in formats and platforms that appeal to the digital native population.”
Reach also announced several new and interim roles to work with David in the newly structured team, including Paul Rowland’s appointment as editorial director for the Live Network, responsible for strategy and delivery of local output across the Live Network in England and Wales; Alison Gow has been appointed interim audience and content director for video and audio, responsible for all video output across Reach; Anna Jeys has been appointed interim audience and content director for new audiences, with a particular focus on a new brand expected to launch later in the year, and Nathan Bliss has been appointed as Reach’s first group-wide gaming editor and will work closely with Jeys.
Reach plc is one of the UK’s biggest publishers, with 2021 revenues of £615.8m thanks to a portfolio that features daily newpapers including The Mirror, Express, and Star sitting alongside magazines such as OK!, local newspapers including the Manchester Evening News and Liverpool Echo, and online titles including the Live brand and Fish4Jobs.
