Mark Woodward is stepping down as product manager for Johnston Press to join estate agency group Countrywide PLC.
Woodward worked on 161 newspaper websites – several of them in Yorkshire and Lancashire – and was at the heart of the group’s transition from print to online, specialising in social publishing.
Johnston Press’s last fully audited number of websites was 203, for 2015, but year it sold and merged a number of titles and digital assets, bringing the number down to 161.
He said: “So, after 27 years in regional news I am leaving the industry that I know and love. I just wanted to thank all my many colleagues and business partners that I have worked with in that time and wish them well for the future. It’s been a blast.
“Really excited to start in a new role with Countrywide Plc. A fresh set of challenges and opportunities in a new industry. I can’t wait.”
Woodward, who was based at Johnston Press’s HQ in Peterborough, starts with Countrywide today.
[This updates a previous story, which said that Woodward was group head of newspaper websites. This position is held by Jeff Moriarty, the publisher’s chief digital and product officer]
