Greg Baxter to leave News Ltd
Sophie Tarr | Jan 23, 2012 | Comments 0
- Outgoing News Ltd corporate affairs director Greg Baxter, right, with Mark Scott, managing director of fellow Australia’s Right to Know coalition member, the ABC
NEWS Limited director of corporate affairs, Greg Baxter, will leave the company at the end of the month, bringing to an end nearly eight years of service.
Mr Baxter resigns after steering the company through “some of the most difficult issues News has faced in recent years”, chief executive Kim Williams announced today.
“There are very few senior executives or editors at News that have not benefited from his expertise and support,” Mr Williams said.
He added that Mr Baxter had been central in the establishment of the media coalition Australia’s Right to Know, which campaigns for press freedom, and in setting up the annual internal News Awards.
Mr Baxter said: “I particularly want to thank John Hartigan, [former chief operating officer] Peter Macourt and our general counsel Ian Philip for giving me so many wonderful opportunities at News and for their incredible support for me, personally as well as professionally.”
Mr Baxter, who was hired by then-News Ltd CEO John Hartigan in 2004 after a stint with James Hardie, is the fourth senior executive to leave News Ltd in two months.
Mr Hartigan stepped down as CEO on November 30, and Mr Macourt departed at the end of 2012.
This latest announcement comes three days after the news that Sandra Hook would leave her role as CEO of News Ltd’s magazine and lifestyle arm NewsLifeMedia.
