Greenspon leaves the Globe, Stackhouse takes over

[Note: this post has been updated below] Edward Greenspon has left his position as editor-in-chief of The Globe and Mail and will be replaced by John Stackhouse, who was previously editor of Report on Business.

In addition, a new executive position has been created, vice-president of IT, which has yet to be filled. Angus Frame, who was editor of globeandmail.com before moving into the digital area, will now take on the role of vice-president, digital, as of June 1, 2009.

Further details of the staffing changes in the IT, digital and business development areas will be announced in the coming days. 

Below is the full text of publisher Phillip Crawley’s memo to employees:

Subject: ANNOUNCEMENT FROM PHILLIP CRAWLEY

The need to restructure our business, to meet the challenges of the current economic environment and the rapid changes in media consumption habits, has been our overarching goal during FY09.

As we head towards FY10, that evolutionary process takes a leap forward today with the reorganization of our senior executive team.

Reimagination-inspired teamwork during the last four years has reinforced the value of a more collaborative way of managing our business.  By drawing on the collective strengths of the team, we are all better able as individuals to contribute to the success of The Globe and Mail.  With that objective in mind, I have reviewed the composition of the Executive Team, and identified priority areas for improvement.

New skills and different styles of leadership are needed to take The Globe and Mail to levels of achievement which meet the ambitions of our shareholders, to cement our standing as the best in Canada at creating high-quality content for consumption on whatever platform is most desirable for our readers, users and advertisers.

We are building on a position of strength not enjoyed by many of our competitors. The executive changes outlined below are intended to ensure that The Globe and Mail is in the prime spot to take advantage of the market opportunities that will arise when the recession eases.

To deliver the required results, I am adding one extra position to the senior team and changing responsibilities and reporting lines in three other parts of the business.

Ed Greenspon, who has been our Editor-in-Chief for almost seven years, is stepping down and is succeeded by John Stackhouse, the Editor of Report on Business since 2004.

John, 46, who is a Queen’s commerce graduate, joined The Globe and Mail in 1989, and has proved himself to be a strong team leader in our cross-functional business initiatives, especially during the last two years when he championed the relaunch of our Globe Investor site.

He brings a high-class pedigree to the Editor-in-Chief position, having been a distinguished foreign correspondent before taking up executive roles as Foreign Editor and National Editor. He has raised Report on Business to levels of excellence in print and online which are unsurpassed.

There will be other occasions to pay tribute to Ed Greenspon’s outstanding service to The Globe and Mail, which he joined in 1986. He made his reputation as an astute observer of Canadian politics and turned the Ottawa bureau into a powerhouse of coverage.  Since 2002 he has spearheaded our editorial transformation, particularly in exploring new ways to tell stories. The record of awards won under his leadership is second to none. I know you will join me in thanking Ed and wishing him well as he moves on to new challenges.

In addition, I expect to make an early announcement that we have recruited a Vice President of IT, having conducted an external search in recent months. 

We need a dedicated leader in the IT Department to enable us to choose the right path forward in our use of technology and choice of systems.  Given that most of our annual capital expenditure is devoted to this area, I need the best possible guidance and expertise.

He/she will take over responsibility for IT from Perry Nixdorf, whose triple-headed responsibilities as VP of Operations have become impossible to sustain.  Perry will now be able to concentrate exclusively on preparing for the transition to our new presses in 2010 – one of the biggest undertakings in The Globe’s long history – and to continue with the revitalization of the Circulation Department, which has undergone radical reform under his leadership.  Perry will remain VP of Operations, looking after the Circulation and Production departments.

The importance of the digital revolution affecting our business is well understood, but remains the most demanding issue we face in terms of the complex options ahead of us.

From next Monday, June 1, the role of VP Digital will be filled by Angus Frame, who has proved that he has the skill and determination to lead this department since his move from Editorial last summer.  Angus, 37, who graduated in political science from McMaster and from Ryerson in journalism, has worked for The Globe and Mail since 1996 and was Editor of globeandmail.com before switching to Digital.  He will work closely with the new VP of IT and with Roger Dunbar, who has headed Digital for the last two years, and now takes up the new position of VP of Business Development and Marketing.

The reorganization of departmental responsibilities which has been under way since the start of the year means that some staff who currently report to Roger will move with him to help him fulfill his new role.  The main aim of Roger and his team, which includes management of co-brand products, will be to identify new revenue streams across all our properties, and lead the process of launching and supporting new business initiatives.  He will continue to head our marketing, promotions and research efforts.

Details of the staffing arrangements in IT, Digital and Business Development will be announced shortly by departmental heads.

All of these changes are an expression of my determination to ensure the long-term health of The Globe and Mail. With the backing of our shareholders, I am confident that we can be among the best in the world at what we choose to do. I look forward to your support and advice in making those wise choices.

UPDATE:

Approached by J-Source for comment,
Greenspon replied by email: “I don’t have much to say right now beyond
that it was a great run of 23 years at the Globe and that I’m proud of
what we accomplished as a group in print and online. I wish the Globe
continued success.”

The Globe‘s report on the management changes is here, based mainly on Crawley’s memo.

Stackhouse joined the Globe as a senior writer for Report on Business (ROB) in 1989 and had been editor of ROB since 2004.

He introduced himself as editor in a short video post and also appeared on Metro Morning, CBC’s Southern Ontario morning radio program to discuss his shift to the top job.

He told the Canadian Press that he and outgoing editor Greenspon have “similar visions of what quality journalism is but he hopes to build more partnerships with others as he takes over the paper”  He said:

“The ways news organizations are changing requires a different kind of leadership. I think I work fairly well with diverse groups of people beyond the editorial department – that is other parts of the organization as well as outside partners.”

According to the CP report, Stackhouse said he is working toward a redesign of the print edition in the next year and that the he is keen to try out new models of payment for content online. “We think our journalism has a strong value for our users and we think that audience wants to pay for it directly or indirectly and they understand the value of it, so we just need to continue to find ways to make that transaction work,” he said.

For more background on Stackhouse, see a 2001 profile from the Ryerson Review of Journalism. And for more on Greenspon’s life and career leading up to his appointment as EIC, see a 2003 RRJ profile.