Former marketing director takes top post at The Daily Telegraph

The Daily Telegraph has appointed former marketing director Hugo Drayton as managing director to replace Jeremy Deedes.

And in a further upheaval, long-serving managing director of sales Len Sanderson is resigning as part of a “wider restructure”.

The shake-ups at the paper began last week with the appointment of Martin Newland as editor, replacing Charles Moore.

Drayton was marketing director at the Telegraph until January 2000, when he handed the reins to Mark Dixon (MW January 13, 2000) and became managing director of Hollinger Telegraph New Media.

Sanderson has been at the newspaper for 18 years and holds a board position; he leaves at the end of the month. Telegraph Group man-aging editor Jeremy Deedes ann-ounced his own departure earlier this year, and will leave later this month.

Display advertising director Chris White-Smith becomes group sales director, while Hollinger Telegraph New Media deputy ad director and commercial director Mark Payne takes the new post of group comm-ercial director, with responsibility for all commercial activities.

Sanderson joined the Telegraph as advertising director in 1987 and was given a seat on the board in July 1993. He was the driving force behind a plan for the Telegraph sales team to contract ad sales for other publications, and did manage to bring The Business on board for a time. However, a plan to form a joint sales house with the Daily Mirror, to be called Apollo Sales, foundered last year (MW August 8, 2002).

Advertising revenues at the newspaper have been under increasing pressure, and in August Telegraph Group reported an 11.8 per cent slump in second-quarter advertising revenues to &£46.5m.

Media Analysis, page 14