Murray Appointed to Johnston Press Board

The publishers of The Scotsman newspaper have announced a new member of its board.

Grant Murray succeeds the outgoing Stuart Paterson as chief financial officer at Johnston Press.

Says the company, he will join the board from May 3, while Paterson leaves a week on Tuesday.

Murray's career includes Guardian Media Group plc, Channel 5 Broadcasting, and United Business Media plc.

Says Johnston, in a statement announcing the appointment of the 46 year-old: “As finance director of United's Broadcasting and Entertainment Division from 1999 to 2001 he was involved in the proposed merger with Carlton, managed the sale of United's TV businesses to Granada, and was responsible for overseeing United's investment in Channel Five.

“In 2001, Murray joined Channel 5 Broadcasting as chief financial officer, where he drove strategic focus on and around the core broadcasting business and had a leading role in all commercial negotiations. During this period he negotiated a refinancing of the channel, secured substantial reductions in broadcast licence payments to the regulator, and was responsible for the financial and technical aspects of the launch of the company's two new digital channels and the project to digitise the business' media content.”

The statement continues: “In 2010 Murray joined Guardian Media Group Plc as interim group chief financial officer, gaining valuable experience and insight into the newspaper publishing business.”

He has an MBA and BSc degree from the University of Edinburgh.