Kirk MacDonald, a senior executive consultant hired to oversee the Star Media Group’s integrated sales efforts last October, has left the company, Marketing has learned.
In an internal memo to staff on Tuesday, David Holland, acting president of Star Media and acting publisher of the Toronto Star, said MacDonald – whose formal title with Star Media Group was chief revenue officer – was leaving the company to pursue “other interests.”
MacDonald was originally hired to oversee print and digital sales for Star Media Group and the Star.
He joined Star Media Group from the digital services agency and ad network AdTaxi, a company he established in 2010 that at its peak had operations in 166 cities in six countries including the U.S., Canada and Australia.
He also spent two-and-a-half years as executive vice-president of advertising, marketing and digital sales at The Denver Post.
Star Media Group has announced a series of reporting changes in the wake of MacDonald’s departure.
Carolyn Sadler continues as VP of sales for Star Metro Media, with manager of business transformation Lisa Boles, director of research Jim Fahey, managing director of local sales and national automotive Norm Laing and vendor manager Noelle Turner all reporting into her.
The company also announced Chris Goodridge, currently chief operating officer, digital, for Star Media Group, and senior VP of digital ventures for Star Media Group parent Torstar Corporation, is assuming a “broader responsibility” for the company’s digital revenue generation and operations.
The change means director of sales operations Chris O’Grady and director of digital sales Myra Thompson will have what the company described as a “dual reporting relationship” with Sadler and Goodridge. Director of digital revenue products Rob Allen now reports directly into Goodridge.
Holland said in the memo Star Media Group is working through a “challenging period.” Earlier this month, the company announced its intention to lay off more than 50 employees, including 22 fulltime employees at the Star and 26 staffers from its Star Touch app product.
Torstar reported a second quarter loss of $23.9 million in July, on the back of a 16.9% decline in print advertising revenues. The company noted a “particular softness” in national advertising revenue.
