News Limited has appointed TrueLocal chief executive John Allan as chief operating officer for The Australian, replacing Brett Clegg.
As a result of the move, News Digital Media - which owns TrueLocal - has appointed Getprice chief executive Chris Hitchen as executive director of local and commerce, overseeing Getprice and Truelocal, as well as News Digital Media's direction in the broader local and commerce area.
Allan starts in the new role on 18 July, and will report directly to chief executive of The Australian and News Digital Media Richard Freudenstein. The title of chief operating officer is a newly created title, however a spokesperson for News Limited said Allan will essentially be replacing Clegg, who was deputy chief executive of The Australian.
Clegg has stepped down from his role at The Australian, moving over to Fairfax to become chief executive of the Financial Review Group. At News Limited, he had replaced Nick Leeder, who departed to become managing director of Google in Australia.
Allan will be responsible for the commercial operations of the newspaper, including sales, marketing, circulation, digital operations and events.
Freudenstein said: "I am particularly pleased to be announcing John’s appointment. John has worked at the highest levels of advertising sales, marketing, digital and operations across newspapers, magazines and online, and has outstanding business, analytical and leadership skills
"In particular, as we move towards the introduction of digital subscription packages, John’s digital acumen will prove a real asset to The Australian."
Hitchen will take up his new role at News Digital Media following the departure of Allan. As executive director of local and commerce, Hitchen will report to executive director of emerging businesses Michael Solomon. The move means that TrueLocal will become part of News Digital Media's emerging businesses division.
Getprice general manager Matt Rigney will take on day to day operational responsibility of Getprice.
Solomon said: "The local and online commerce markets are growing at an exponential rate and News is well positioned to become a major player. The promotion of Chris, one of Australia’s best digital executives, will give our division a new level of expertise and strategic thinking.
"Chris and his team have done an outstanding job building Getprice into Australia’s largest comparison shopping website. Their proven ability to grow significant transactional revenues will prove invaluable as TrueLocal embarks on the next phase of its growth."
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