Ronan Dunne, CEO of Telefónica UK, and John Paton, CEO of Digital First Media, have been appointed as non-executive directors by Guardian Media Group.
Dunne has been CEO of Telefónica UK and a member of the Telefónica Europe board since April 2008. Prior to this he was chief financial officer and head of finance, having joined O2 prior to its demerger from BT in 2001.
He said of his appointment: "I am very much looking forward to joining the GMG board. The media sector is changing which presents enormous opportunity as the true potential of digital services and interaction becomes a reality."
In addition to his role as founder and CEO of Digital First Media, Paton is also the co-founder of impreMedia, the news and information company for Hispanics in the US, a director of Canadian newspaper company, Postmedia Network, a member of the Board of Advisors for the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism and member of the board of directors of Spanish newspaper, El Pais.
Paton commented: “It is a privilege to be joining the board of one of the most innovative digital news companies in the world. The Guardian is a powerful global voice for progressive societal change. All forward-thinking people have a vested interest in its future and I am excited about playing a small role in that future."
Amelia Fawcett, chair of GMG, also commented on the appointments: “We are delighted to welcome Ronan and John to the GMG Board.
“The depth and range of expertise on the GMG Board means we are fully equipped to support our transformation to a digital-first organisation, strongly placed to ensure a long-term, commercially successful future for our journalism.”