King starts term as XLMedia CEO

King was revealed as the new CEO of XLMedia in May and he replaces Stuart Simms in the role.

Simms announced his intention to step down as CEO in April and has now left the business after a short handover period.

“We’re pleased to welcome David to the role of chief executive officer and, on behalf of the board, I would like to personally thank Stuart for his hard work and commitment during his time at the company,” XLMedia non-executive chair Marcus Rich said.

Upon taking of the role of CEO, King also became a member of the XLMedia board of directors.

King most recently served as chief executive of regional new group JPIMedia between November 2018 and January 2021.

Prior to this, he spent five years at regional UK newspaper group Johnston Press, first as its chief financial officer before becoming chief executive.

King was also chief executive of Time Out Group for four years, while between 1998 and 2008, he was chief financial officer of BBC Worldwide, following a spell as finance director for international and television.

In addition, King served as head of corporate finance at the BBC between 1994 and 1996, prior to which he was a management consultant for Coopers & Lybrand.