Little will report to Chief Audience Officer David Higgerson and be responsible for leading the company’s focus on loyal audiences, as part of the wider customer value strategy. He will work across National and Regional titles as part of the digital editorial leadership team.
Prior to his current post at JPI, Little was the online editor at The Press and Journal and head of business development at Romanes Media Group. He began his career as a reporter on a free weekly newspaper in Stirlingshire.
Little said: "The scale of audience across the Reach portfolio is genuinely remarkable and a major draw for any digital journalist.
“But what really captured my imagination are the plans to create even more noise around some of the country’s most well-known newsbrands, deeper connections with the readers and a greater focus on the needs of the most loyal customers.
"So many publishers operate in broadcast mode, but Reach has recognised the opportunity not just to publish content, but to talk to the people that read it, help them understand and build on that trusted relationship.”
Higgerson added: “We’re delighted to welcome Martin to the team. He brings a wealth of experience which will complement our existing digital leaders.
“We are proud to be the UK’s largest commercial publisher, getting news to more people in the UK than ever before. Our next step is to increasingly focus on the loyal readers who choose to spend their valuable time with us every single day, and find ways to spend even more time with them.”
The appointment comes as Reach continues to expand its digital audience, with new regional launches such as BedfordshireLive and BuckinghamshireLive (both launched in January) bolstering its online portfolio, in addition to continued expansion of the editorial teams around the network, says the company.
Earlier this month, Reach announced it had 5.8 million registered users, towards its target of 10 million by the end of 2022.
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