Last week bore witness to the second high-profile depature of the year, with the news that the role of Bauer Media group production director Debbie Read had been made redundant.

Her position came under threat following Bauer's acquisition of Emap Consumer Media in December 2007, which left the publisher with two heads of production.

Following Read's departure, responsibility for all UK print, paper and pre-press requirements for Bauer Media Group has been handed to current H Bauer Publishing head of production, Frank Ryan.

An industry source said: "When Bauer and Emap came together there was always going to need to be some cost-cutting and, with Emap being bought by Bauer, Debbie was always more likely to go.

"People will certainly be under pressure because of cost-cutting and there are one or two that I wouldn't be surprised if they went, but I don't think production directors are a dying breed because while print's around somebody's got to take total responsibility for that."

Read's departure followed that of NatMags group manufacturing director Alice Beattie, whose position was made redundant in April with strategic procurement responsibility going to general manager Simon Horne.