MR Gavin O'Reilly has been appointed director of production operations at Independent Newspapers.

He is currently managing director of Independent Directories and will become chairman of that company.

Mr O'Reilly, a son of Dr Tony O'Reilly, chairman of Independent Newspapers, will be responsible for the production of the Abbey Street titles. He will take up his new position on August 19th, reporting to Mr David Palmer, the managing director of Independent Newspapers

Mr O'Reilly said last night that he would be examining the way Independent produces its newspapers and would be looking for opportunities to make cost savings in that area. "I will be looking at all aspects of production," he said.

Mr O'Reilly spent three years at Independent Directories, a subsidiary of Independent Newspapers. It publishes a Dublin household directory which is distributed free to more than 350,000 homes in the greater Dublin area.

Mr O'Reilly will be succeeded at Independent Directories by Mr Garret Doyle. Mr Doyle is managing director of Independent Information Services, and will also retain this position.

Mr Peter O'Rourke, currently deputy managing director of Independent Directories, will become its new chief operating officer while retaining his position as financial controller of IIS.