The Guardian is embroiled in a new governance row after a director resigned in protest at his editor’s influence to ensure his choice was installed as managing director.
Anders Jensen is said to have resigned from the board of Guardian Media Group (GMG) just two years into his tenure because he was alarmed by scrutiny standards when recruiting Anna Bateson as chief executive.
Sources said Jensen, chief executive of Scandinavian streaming service Viaplay, was unhappy with the influence of editor Katharine Viner, who lobbied GMG to appoint Bateson.
A spokesman for Jensen said: “Out of respect for The Guardian as a newspaper, we will not comment on the internal proceedings of its board, which Anders has indeed chosen to leave.”
Bateson’s appointment reportedly frustrated some senior executives, who felt interim chief executive Keith Underwood had already proven he was better suited for the job.
Bateson, the head of an online hair dye brand, previously worked as chief account officer at The Guardian and was overlooked for the job of chief executive two years ago. This time, she was nominated ahead of Underwood, along with Katie Vanneck-Smith, co-founder of “slow news” startup Tortoise, among other candidates.
She will now take over GMG, the corporate structure owned by The Scott Trust which publishes The Guardian newspaper.
The revelations are the latest tensions at the highest level at the publisher after Viner clashed with former chief executive Annette Thomas. The couple had argued over how best to create a brighter financial future for the business and where the decision-making power should reside. Viner prevailed and Thomas left after less than 15 months with nearly £800,000 in severance pay.
