Mediahuis appoints Peter Vandermeersch as next CEO of Irish business

Peter Vandermeersch will become the next chief executive of Mediahuis Ireland, the company that publishes the Irish Independent and Sunday Independent news titles, succeeding Marc Vangeel.

Mr Vandermeersch has been publisher of Mediahuis Ireland, which was previously known as Independent News & Media, since 2019, when the company was acquired by Belgian media group Mediahuis.

His appointment as chief executive will be effective from August 1st, Antwerp-headquartered Mediahuis said. Mr Vangeel will remain on the board of Mediahuis Ireland and take up a strategic role with the wider group, which also operates in the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Germany.

Mediahuis group chief executive Gert Ysebaert said he was convinced that the Irish business – which also publishes the Sunday World, the Belfast Telegraph the Herald and several regional titles – would "continue its strong growth and enjoy a bright future" under Mr Vandermeersch.

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Executive committee

Alongside Ian Keogh, the chief executive of Mediahuis-owned distribution company Reach Group, Mr Vandermeersch has served on Mediahuis Ireland's executive committee, working closely with Mr Vangeel for the past three years.

He was an editor of Brussels-based newspaper De Standaard from 1999 to 2010, having earlier served as foreign correspondent for the Flemish title reporting from Paris and New York, and was subsequently the editor of Amsterdam-based daily NRC from 2010 to 2019.