Telegraph’s Murdoch MacLennan joins Scottish Professional Football League as chairman
Murdoch MacLennan, the former chief executive of Telegraph Media Group (TMG) who was moved into a deputy chairman role last month, has been appointed as the chairman of the Scottish Professional Football League.
Telegraph’s Murdoch MacLennan appointed as Scottish Professional Football League chairman
He will replace Ralph Topping, who is standing down on 1 August. MacLennan was the SPFL board’s unanimous choice to succeed Topping following a recruitment process conducted by worldwide sports executive search agency Nolan Partners.
SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster said: “Murdoch brings with him a wealth of top-level business and media experience and has been at the cutting edge of the digital revolution as chief executive and now deputy chairman of the Telegraph Media Group.
MacLennan had been leading the publisher for 13 years when he was replaced rather surprisingly in June by Nick Hugh, the company's chief operating officer of less than six months.
Hugh joined the Telegraph in January from Yahoo, where he was vice president, EMEA. He became the company’s first ever chief operating officer, which saw him assume responsibility for all TMG's revenue streams and commercial operations.
TMG said that in his short time at the publisher Hugh has overseen a restructure to increase the focus on future growth drivers in the digital ecosystem across advertising, commerce and events – a strategy he will continue as chief executive to ensure a “healthy future for quality journalism”.
Meanwhile MacLennan was given the role of deputy chairman of TMG, a role that was to see him representing The Telegraph “on a number of national and international organisations fighting for press and commercial freedom”, he said at the time.
The media boss is also chairman of the Press Association Group, a board member of INMA (The International News Media Association), and a member of the Google DNI Council.