By Donal O’donovan
Copyright independent
Veldon, a former journalist and previous deputy editor of the Irish Times newspaper itself, was appointed group managing director in November 2022. She has been with the business since she began her journalism career in 1996.
In a memo to staff announcing her departure, she said she was stepping down to pursue other professional interests. She said she would continue to work with the Irish Times Group on policy and industry issues, though not in what capacity.
The announcement is understood to have come as a surprise to staff at the group. She will be replaced for an interim period by the group’s chief finance officer, Michael Sheehan, pending the appointment of a permanent replacement.
The most recently filed accounts for the Irish Times Designated Activity Company show its loss after exceptional items was reduced to €642,656 in 2023, down by just over €2m from the figure recorded in 2022.
The company generated a profit on ordinary activities before taxation of €2.118m, which followed a loss of just over €5m the previous year.
The group includes the Irish Examiner newspaper, the property website MyHome.ie, several regional newspapers, and a share in the radio station WLR FM.
Earlier this year, Deirdre Veldon was appointed President of News Media Europe, the representative body for the European news media industry. She also serves as vice-chair of Newsbrands, an Irish representative group for the sector.
