Tom Mockridge, a longtime News Corporation official who served as chief executive of the company's British newspapers in the aftermath of a phone hacking scandal, will step down.
Mr. Mockridge announced on Sunday that he would leave his post at the end of year. The day before, reports emerged that Robert Thomson, currently the top editor at The Wall Street Journal, was expected to be named chief executive of News Corporation's planned spinoff publishing company. Mr. Mockridge and Mr. Thomson had long been considered the top candidates for the chief executive job. An announcement about Mr. Thomson's appointment was widely expected by Monday or Tuesday.
Rupert Murdoch, chairman and chief executive of News Corporation, called Mr. Mockridge “a skilled executive and a trusted friend†and said his decision to step down was “absolutely and entirely his own.â€
Mr. Mockridge stepped into the role of chief executive of News Corporation's British publishing u nit, News International, last July. He served as a steady hand at a time of corporate crisis. His predecessor as chief executive, Rebekah Brooks, and other top News International executives became the subject of an investigation into phone hacking at the News of the World tabloid.
More recently, Mr. Mockridge has been active in the recently completed Leveson Inquiry into media practices in Britain. Several top lieutenants within the company thought Mr. Mockridge's time overseeing the company's embattled British newspaper unit would ultimately pay off with his appointment as chief executive to the larger, spun-off publishing company, which will include The Journal, The New York Post and HarperCollins.
Born in New Zealand, Mr. Mockridge joined News Corporation in Australia in 1991. In a news release, News Corporation said he planned to “pursue outside opportunities.â€
