De Groose will report to the News Media Association (NMA)’s chairman, David Dinsmore, and has been taken on to champion Britain’s news media to readers and advertisers.

She will also have NMA responsibilities including chairing its national commercial board and representing the NMA on the PAMCo (Published Audience Measurement Company) board.

David Pattison, who is the current non-executive chairman, will work with De Groose on the transition until the end of the year. Vanessa Clifford, chief executive of Newsworks, will report to De Groose.

Pattison said: “I have chaired Newsworks in a non-exec capacity for six years. It has been clear for sometime that news brands need a full-time senior person to bring the industry together to face the next set of challenges. I can’t think of a better choice than Tracy to fill that role.”

Dinsmore said: “This is a huge moment for the industry and one of the clearest signals that the industry is collaborating to face an exciting future. To attract someone with Tracy’s experience, knowledge and energy to this role is a massive reinforcement of the power of news brands.”