Darcey joined News International on 1 January 2013 from his post at Sky’s BSkyB, in which News International’s parent company News Corp has a 39.1% stakeholding.

He said: "I am hugely excited and feel privileged to be joining a company that is home to some of the world’s best known and most respected newspapers. In what has been a difficult year, NI Group has continued to lead from the front with quality journalism and innovation in new ways of delivering the content.

"I look forward to guiding the business through the upcoming split and towards a long and successful future."

The split, announced in June, groups the Wall Street Journal publisher Dow Jones, British and Australian newspapers, HarperCollins book publishing and Australian television assets separately from News Corp’s television interests, including Fox and BSkyB.

In December, the Wall Street Journal managing editor Robert Thomson was named the head of the new publishing arm, which will retain the News Corp title, while the television entities, including BSkyB, will become Fox Group.

Mockridge resigned at the beginning of December after 22 years with News Corp, a move which News Corp’s head honcho Rupert Murdoch said was "absolutely and entirely" his own decision.