Reuters chief Stuart Karle redundant after two years

Chief executive Andrew Rashbass announced Karle’s departure on Monday, saying he had “played an important role in creating the organisation we are today”. Karle, pictured, was previously general counsel at The Wall Street Journal. 

“You know better than I how much Reuters has changed over the past two years: from introducing general managers so our bureau chiefs can concentrate on our journalism to the ways we ensure our people’s safety; from our increased use of the Bangalore operation to take advantage of automation, and much more besides,” Rashbass said in a message to staff.

Rashbass made clear his own position as head of the business since July meant there was no longer a role for a chief operating officer and Karle would leave at the end of the year. He added: “It is a testament to his skill and success that the areas Stuart joined to organise and run two and a half years ago are now so ably handled within the wider team.”

Karle was a key hire by editor-in-chief Stephen Adler who recruited him in April 2011. Adler said Karle created and managed the organisation of general managers, “which has enabled our editorial team to focus more attention on great journalism and less on managing the bureaucracy. Stuart also revamped our safety operations to ensure that more people received more practical hostile-environment training and that security advisers accompanied reporting teams on the most dangerous assignments. And he harness his years of experience as a media lawyer to help us gain greater access for our reporters in politically difficult situations.”

The new global head of editorial operations will report to Adler and will oversee the general managers and their functions including day-to-day editorial operations, logistics and safety, and will act as a key liaison between editorial and company functions like human resources, finance, legal and communications. ■