The Guardian has appointed Mark Rice-Oxley as executive editor, reader revenues.
The role involves connecting readers with the newspaper’s editorial priorities and working alongside its reader revenue and marketing teams to bring supporters closer to Guardian journalism through newsletters, regular pieces in the Guardian’s digital and print editions, live digital events and one-to-one communication.
In this role, Rice-Oxley will also be leading coverage of the Guardian’s 200th anniversary later in 2021.
He said: “Funding from readers is the most reliable, authentic way to underwrite inquisitive, independent journalism, which in turn is the most robust way to keep democracies honest and informed. It’s both daunting and thrilling to take on this challenge at a crucial time for the Guardian and news media in general.”
Rice-Oxley was previously the Guardian’s head of special projects and launched the Upside solutions journalism series. Prior to that, he was an international news editor at the Guardian.
In December 2020, the Guardian announced that total digital recurring support – digital subscriptions and recurring contributions – stood at over 900,000, up from 632,000 in November 2019. Including print subscriptions and single contributions, people have supported the Guardian financially over 1.5 million times in the last 12 months.
Katharine Viner, editor-in-chief, Guardian News & Media, said: “Mark is a talented editor with a wealth of experience and I’m delighted to appoint him as executive editor, reader revenues. This role plays an integral part in our relationship with supporters and I’m confident that Mark will continue to expand on the strong reader-centric approach we have built, ensuring our impactful, truthful reporting remains open and available to all.”
