Guardian Media Group appoints Anna Bateson as chief executive

Guardian Media Group, The Guardian‘s parent company, has appointed Anna Bateson as its new chief executive.

Bateson previously spent four years at Guardian Media Group between 2016-2020, including a brief stint as interim chief executive in 2020.

As chief customer officer from 2017 to 2020, Bateson was responsible for digital and print reader revenues, digital platform partnerships and licensing, the Guardian’s brand and marketing strategy, and Guardian Live and other businesses.

After leaving Guardian Media Group in 2020, she worked as CEO of e-commerce beauty brand Josh Wood Colour. Before originally joining Guardian Media Group in 2016, she held senior positions at ITV and YouTube.

Bateson said: “I am delighted to be returning to the Guardian, an organisation whose purpose and strategy I believe in so strongly and whose continued success I care so passionately about. I am looking forward to working with the Guardian’s incredibly talented editorial and commercial teams to build on the achievements of recent years, and to continue to grow one of the world’s leading news organisations. I can’t wait to get started.”

Guardian Media Group’s board chair Charles Gurassa added: “The board is delighted that Anna has been appointed as chief executive of Guardian Media Group.  Her deep understanding and experience of the Guardian and of digital media and marketing, combined with her significant leadership experience mean she is very well placed to lead the Guardian into the future, working in partnership with our editor-in-chief Katharine Viner and with the wider executive team.”

Bateson replaces Keith Underwood, who has held the role of interim chief executive over the past year.