Piers North is new CEO at Mirror publisher Reach plc as Jim Mullen moves to Jockey Club 

The publisher of the Mirror and the Express has a new CEO after its current boss announced he was taking the reins at The Jockey Club.

Reach plc, which also owns BusinessLive and regional titles from Wales Online to the Manchester Evening News, has announced that Jim Mullen is stepping down as chief executive and will leave the board with immediate effect. After a short handover period, he will become chief executive at Cheltenham and Aintree racecourse owner The Jockey Club in June.

Reach’s current chief revenue officer Piers North has been appointed chief executive with immediate effect. He joined Reach in 2014, and has held several senior digital strategy roles both at Reach and at Yahoo, having started his career as a digital journalist.

Reach plc chairman Nick Prettejohn said: “The Board and I thank Jim for his valuable contribution over the past six years, and we and Jim agree that it is an appropriate time, following a strong full-year performance, for him to step down and for the company to take new leadership.

“We are very pleased with the appointment of Piers as CEO. He has a strong track record of leadership and delivery at Reach, and brings great experience of both the company and the wider industry. We are well positioned for the future, following our strong full-year results and strategic progress reported this month.”

Mr Mullen said: "I want to thank everyone at Reach for their hard work over these past nearly six years. Together we have put the business in a stronger position, resolving important historical issues and making real progress on our digital growth, while continuing to deliver impactful journalism.

“I’ll be taking on the role of group chief executive of The Jockey Club from June 1, but I will continue to champion the importance of free-to-access news and the Daily Record football coverage from the sidelines, and I wish everyone the best.”

Mr North said: “It’s a huge honour to lead Reach as we continue to serve essential journalism to our audiences and to move forward with our digital evolution. I look forward to working even more closely with all of the talented colleagues I have already been fortunate enough to work with over my 10 years here.”