Johnston Press has appointed Stuart Birkett to oversee the running of Scotsman Publications following the departure of Andrew Richardson.
A spokesperson for Johnston Press confirmed the departure of Richardson but was not prepared to comment officially.
It is now understood that Birkett, regional managing director for the company, will also take over Richardson’s role in Scotland.
Ashley Highfield, chief executive of the company issued a memo this morning confirming the appointment of Birkett.
The memo read: “We have today informed the Scotland Publishing Unit staff that Andrew Richardson is leaving his position as managing director for the Scotland Publishing Unit.
“Andrew has been within the company for over 5 years (sic) and has held the role of MD for the last 2 and a half years. We wish Andrew well for the future and thank him for his significant contribution to the business.”
The news of Richardson’s departure was announced prematurely in a tweet by former editor of The Scotsman John Mclellan.