Daily Mail & General Trust (DMGT) said the move was unconnected to the current plans to reorganise the PLC and take it back into private ownership. 

Beatty will continue as a non-executive director of DMGT, with the exact timing of his transfer of executive responsibilities to be confirmed. 

Beatty’s quarter century career with the group includes spells as managing director of the Mail on Sunday, Evening Standard and London Metro; he was also managing director of Northcliffe Newspapers and COO of Associated New Media.

Chairman Lord Rothermere commented: “I am hugely grateful to Kevin for all he has done for DMG Media over 25 years. He has driven immense change and ushered in a new future for the business. I look forward to continuing to work with him as a board director."

The new CEO of DMG Media is Richard Caccappolo, currently COO of MailOnline, while James Welsh, deputy CFO of DMGT, and the former CFO of DMG Media, becomes deputy CEO of DMG Media.

The group said that their combined experience “gives them the knowledge and vision the business needs to continue its market-leading position”.

The changes were announced after the close of trading on the London Stock Exchange yesterday (16 November).

Separately, DMG Media has pointed an industry veteran as its new product controller. Bruce Lord took up the new role last week. He had spent 36 years working in print and paper prior to leaving SCA Graphic Paper, where he was technical sales manager, at the end of March after the Swedish group exited the publication papers market.

Lord is a qualified electrician and in the intervening months had been working in the electrical trade. 

Posting on LinkedIn, he said his new role was “very exciting” and he would be spending most of his time at YM Group sites initially. 

YM Group took over the printing of the Daily Mail’s Weekend and Mail on Sunday’s You supplements last month.