News UK has announced the appointment of Claire Dracott as director of a new technology innovation team. This new role will focus on developing new opportunities through innovative technologies for News UK and its brands, including The Sun, The Times, The Sunday Times, TalkTV, talkSPORT, Virgin Radio UK and Times Radio.
In her new role, the publisher says Claire will oversee a cross-functional team, encompassing engineering, research, product and design. Working with domestic and international technology partners, the team’s remit will be to identify and implement opportunities around emerging technologies. It will fast track exploratory work, identifying business and consumer benefits, developing feasibility analysis aligned with business innovation. Claire reports into News UK EVP, chief technology officer, Simon Farnsworth.
Claire will also work closely with the business innovation and transformation team, led by director Harry Burt, reporting to SVP, platforms and partnerships, Meribeth Parker. Together, the technology and business innovation teams will identify transformative emerging technologies with the power to drive digital product development and revenue growth across all of News UK’s brands.
The publisher says Claire heads the new team after 11 years at News UK. Starting her career as a graduate trainee, she joined the News UK tech design team the following year, developing world class user experience outcomes across the digital development roadmap. For the last five years Claire has been head of user experience & design.
Claire Dracott said: “I am thrilled to lead the new technology innovation team. Our focus is to always be looking forward, scanning the horizon for nascent tech that could be game changing to our brands and business. I’m particularly looking forward to exploring and integrating ever-changing and revolutionary technology such as AI.”
Simon Farnsworth, EVP, chief technology officer, said: “Claire is the perfect fit for this new role, having spent years understanding our brands and developing innovative ways for technology to support our business cross-functionally. I’m really excited to see the pipeline of innovation she and the team create, using a future-focus to forge our business advantage, develop our products and services and generate tomorrow’s opportunities today.”
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