Changes at Irish Times. So soon?

Commenting on Ms Veldon’s appointment, Dan Flinter, chairman of The Irish Times board, said: “With Deirdre as managing director, The Irish Times group will continue to deliver challenging and engaging content which will further increase opportunities for our commercial partners to be a central part of the lives of our readers. Our creative and commercial teams look forward to a continuation of the highest quality partnerships we enjoy with our commercial clients.”

Ms Veldon said: ” The Irish Times takes its mission as a quality, independent news publisher very seriously. I am confident we will continue to build on the success of recent years for The Irish Times, the Irish Examiner, The Echo and our regional titles to bring our journalism to a wider audience in Ireland and overseas.

“I believe my background in journalism and on digital media platforms will be an advantage to the group in helping us deliver our authoritative and engaging news service to our readers in print and online. Once again, the media industry faces challenging times but I remain confident that our market position, our talented team and our quality journalism leave us well positioned to meet the challenges that lie ahead.”

Ruadhán Mac Cormaic, the editor of The Irish Times, congratulated Ms Veldon on her appointment. “In a rapidly changing industry, The Irish Times has undergone a transformation in the past decade, but our core belief in the value of fair, independent and trustworthy journalism is stronger than ever,” he said.

“We enter the next phase in the company’s digital development alert to the challenges but knowing that we have every reason to face the future with confidence”.