Jo Allan has been promoted to CEO of Newsworks, the marketing body for the UK’s national news brands.
Last year, Allan took charge of Newsworks as managing director and has played a central role in running the industry’s “All Together” partnership with the UK Government.
She has also repurposed Newsworks’ narrative around “Journalism Matters”, to highlight the value of trusted news brands and their effectiveness to advertisers.
The “All Together”campaign, which has been running for over a year, saw the “Stay at home” message run in more than 600 local and national news brands across the country and reach more than 40 million readers.
It was the single biggest news brand collaboration the UK has ever seen, for the most important public information campaign in a generation.
In addition to “All Together”, Allan’s other notable Newsworks highlights to date include the World Without News campaign, The Editor’s Inbox podcast series and a rebooted Planning Awards, which celebrate the best in news brand planning.
Allan said: “I am really chuffed to be appointed as chief executive. But this isn’t just about me, it is recognition for my whole team. We play an important role as a gateway into the industry and through further collaboration we will steer greater opportunities for investment into our trusted news brands. That’s where we will continue to keep our focus, as well as cheerleading for the industry from the front.”
Jim Mullen, Reach chief executive and deputy chair of the NMA, said: “Jo’s appointment to Chief Executive of Newsworks is recognition of the key role she plays in pushing the industry forward, creating collaborative opportunities and promoting the power of news brands to our advertising partners. We are confident Jo will continue to build on the positive momentum she has achieved already.”
