Advertising veteran Tracy De Groose has been appointed as the executive chair of the News Media Association's (NMA) Newsworks.
De Groose, who last year stepped down as UK chief executive of the Denstu Aegis Network, has finally lifted the lid on her next move, which will see her lead the UK's marketing body for national newspapers.
She will answer to group chairman David Dinsmore and is briefed with championing UK news media for customers and advertisers, tackling some of the monetisation and distribution issues currently facing the industry.
Dinsmore said: “This is a huge moment for the industry, and one of the clearest signals that the industry is collaborating to face an exciting future. To attract someone with Tracy’s experience, knowledge and energy to this role is a massive reinforcement of the power of news brands.
“Tracy has a very clear vision of the future with which my fellow board members and I are totally aligned. We are all energised at the prospect of working with her to make that vision become reality.”
De Groose added: “We are fortunate to have strong and diverse news brands in the UK and we shouldn’t underestimate the importance of their role in society. I am honoured to be able to represent such a key part of our national media. They help define us so much more than demographics can and create trusted environments for readers and advertisers alike.
"It’s an exciting time to be joining the industry when it’s already proved it can collaborate to transform and grow. To be at the forefront industry-wide change at such a pivotal time, made this a role I couldn’t say no to.”
Current non-exec chairman David Pattison will help transition De Groose into the role until the end of the year.
