Newsquest has announced that Catherine Salmond has been appointed editor of The Herald, taking over from Donald Martin, who is standing down as editor-in-chief on August 31 and has edited the paper and its sister title The Herald on Sunday since 2017.
Catherine has been editor of the Scotland on Sunday since August 2021, and before that has held various senior positions on the news and digital desks of the Scotsman publications.
According to the publisher, The Herald, a daily newspaper, is at the heart of Scotland’s debate, regularly setting the news agenda in politics, business, health, education and more. Catherine is the first female editor of The Herald in its 239-year history.
Catherine Salmond said: “I am honoured to be joining The Herald and am confident this new chapter in its rich history will be an exciting one.
“I will lead with passion and firmness, championing the title and its staff, while ensuring we offer the robust, incisive, and energetic journalism expected online and in print from what is one of Scotland's great news brands.”
“We are all aware of the pressures facing our industry, but The Herald is well placed to meet them head on, with a talented, determined, and forward-thinking team. I am excited about what we will achieve together.”
Callum Baird, editor-in-chief, said: “The recruitment process for this role was thorough and inspiring. We spoke to a large number of high calibre candidates – as you might expect for what is one of the biggest jobs in Scottish journalism.
“It was clear that Catherine’s ambition for the title matched our own and we look forward to seeing how she can work with the team to deliver her vision.
“One thing that everybody we have spoken to agreed with us on was The Herald’s endurable power, potential and talent, and we’re excited to see what comes next.”
David Ward, managing director of Newsquest Scotland, said: “I’m delighted to welcome Catherine to the business. Throughout the recruitment process Catherine demonstrated a very clear vision for the future of The Herald, the strength of the brand and the opportunity to build on our multimedia plans.
“Catherine’s skillset and standing within the industry in Scotland will position us well over the coming years and we look forward to working with and supporting Catherine as she strives to create and commission thoughtful, engaging content across a range of media channels.”
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