The group managing director of The Irish Times, Deirdre Veldon, is to step down from her role to pursue other professional opportunities.
She has been in the post since late 2022.
As an interim appointment, the board of The Irish Times has appointed the chief financial officer Michael Sheehan to fill the role of group managing director while it runs a process to appoint a successor.
During her time in charge, Ms Veldon has overseen the group’s return to profitability and significant growth in digital subscriptions, a major digital transformation programme, the acquisitions of death notice website RIP.ie and the Gloss magazine, and the sale of radio assets.
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Ms Veldon will continue to work with the group on regulatory and media industry issues, including finding ways for the publishing industry to respond to the challenges of AI.
Commenting on her decision, Ms Veldon said: “It has been a great privilege to have worked for a media outlet that has been at the forefront of change in the industry in Ireland, while continuing to uphold the highest journalistic standards.
“Publishers are facing unprecedented challenges and our future will depend on our ability to adapt and navigate those challenges to ensure journalism continues to play a vital role in our democracies.”
Shay Garvey, chair of The Irish Times, described Ms Veldon as a “driving force in our business and editorial success over the last three decades”.
“Her leadership, creativity, and unwavering commitment to journalistic excellence and the future of the publishing industry have left an indelible mark on our organisation. We are immensely grateful for her vision and dedication,” he said.
Ms Veldon has spent 30 years with the media group in a variety of senior editorial digital and print roles, including five years as deputy editor of The Irish Times prior to taking over as group managing director.
The Irish Times media group also includes the Cork-based Examiner and Echo titles, a number of regional newspapers, and property website MyHome.ie.
