Christian Broughton has been appointed as CEO of Independent Digital News & Media Limited, the publisher of The Independent, replacing Zach Leonard.
Broughton will assume the role of CEO from 1 October, while Leonard, a US native, will move to the US-based role of global chief operating officer and president, North America, with a specific focus on growing the US business.
Independent CEO Zach Leonard has a global plan after five years of profit
Former Daily Mail editor Geordie Greig was appointed as editor-in-chief of The Independent at the start of this year.
Broughton joined The Independent in 2005 and has held senior roles spanning the editorial and commercial sides of the business, including features editor, sports editor and assistant editor from 2016 to 2020.
He then moved to the role of managing director three years ago to run The Independent’s Ventures arm, where the publication has sought to create new revenue streams such as ecommerce and connected TV with the launch of Independent TV.
Broughton and Leonard oversaw the newsbrand’s transition to a full-digital publication in 2016.
Before joining ESI Media (the parent company for The Independent and Evening Standard) in 2010, Leonard held executive roles at Accenture and News International (now News UK) where he was digital publisher for Times Media and MD of Milkround, the online recruitment site.
John Paton, chairman of Independent Digital News Media, said: “We’ve seen outstanding growth under Zach’s leadership, expanding to seven different editions around the world, and I’m delighted that he will be growing our thriving US business. Christian and Zach have delivered exceptional results for The Independent over the years, and this major move now sets us on a pathway to double revenues.
“There is a huge future ahead for the sleeping giant of global digital news media.”
