Politicians Join Independent Board

Independent News & Media, owner of the Independent, has appointed former leader of the Liberal Democrats Paddy Ashdown MP and former Chancellor of the Exchequer Kenneth Clarke MP to its UK board of directors. The appointments are announced at the same time as the group relocates its UK businesses, including the two Independent papers, to their own building in London’s Docklands.

Commenting on the appointments, Brendan Hopkins, chief executive officer of the group, says: “I am delighted to welcome Paddy Ashdown and Ken Clarke to our board. They are both men of immense political stature and have a range of abilities and experience that will strengthen and complement our existing board.” Ashdown adds: “I am looking forward to helping to build the strength of the Independent as a truly independent newspaper within a fast-growing UK group.”

Independent News & Media is investing £50 million in the relocation of the Independent papers which Hopkins says are outperforming expectations in terms of both advertising revenue and circulations. “October circulation figures for both papers [Independent and Independent On Sunday] are expected to be the highest for two years,” he says.

In the September ABC figures, the Independent reported a year on year growth in circulation of 1.2% to just under 224,000 copies; the IoS‘ sales dropped back by 4.7% over the same period.

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