BBC’s Mark Thompson to run New York Times

BBC Director General Mark Thompson is joining the New York Times as president and CEO.

He’s relocating and expected to start his new position in November, focussing on growing business, digital innovation and international expansion.

He will also be appointed to the Times Company Board.

Arthur Sulzberger, Jr., chairman of the Times Company said: “Mark is a gifted executive with strong credentials whose leadership at the BBC helped it to extend its trusted brand identity into new digital products and services.

“Our board concluded that Mark’s experience and his accomplishments at the BBC made him the ideal candidate to lead the Times Company at this moment in time when we are highly focused on growing our business through digital and global expansion.”

Thompson has been with the BBC since 1979 when he joined as a production trainee. He helped launch Watchdog and Breakfast Time, was an output editor on Newsnight, and was appointed Editor of the Nine O’Clock News in 1988 and of Panorama in 1990. He went to be Controller (programming and scheduling chief) for the TV network BBC2 and Director of Television for the BBC before leaving the BBC in 2002 to be CEO of Channel 4.

He leaves the BBC in September, making way for George Entwistle to take his title.