Guardian consolidates sales and marketing
Guardian News and Media (GNM) has promoted its interim chief marketing officer David Pemsel to a new post of chief commercial officer to consolidate its marketing and commercial leadership.
Pemsel will take-over all commercial operations, including sales as well as marketing at Guardian News and Media in a management reshuffle which sees the departure of global commercial director Chris Pelekanou and executive director of commercial Adam Freeman.
GNM also announced the promotion of digital development director Tanya Cordrey to become chief digital officer.
Pemsel, who joined as interim CMO a year ago from ITV where he was group marketing director, will add the sales organisation, which includes Guardian Professional, business development and brand extensions, and display advertising to his marketing responsibilities in his new role.
Both Cordrey and Pemsel will report directly to parent company Guardian Media Group chief executive Andrew Miller, who says the changes are part of the group’s strategy to bring GNM and GMG closer together to “build a stronger, more digitally-focused organisation.”
The changes are the latest move under the media owner’s strategy to become ‘digital-first’ – a strategy announced last year. It hopes to reinvest resources from print to online and double digital revenues to nearly £100m by 2015.
Outgoing executive commercial director Freeman is starting his own “consumer-led social advertising platform” after 10 years at GNM, and Pelakanou is to become commercial director at outdoor advertising giant Clear Channel following a 20 year stint at the media group.
