Richard Withey

Biography: Richard recently stepped down as global director – interactive media for Independent News & Media Plc, a position he held since May 2002.  He joined INM to set up Independent Digital, the digital publishing arm of Independent News & Media, in June 1999.  This followed 12 years at News International, where for 7 years he was director of new media, formulating the overall strategy for the successful launch on the Web of titles such as The Times, Sunday Times and The Times Educational Supplements, as well as investing directly or through joint ventures in a number of new media start-ups and publishing ventures, including LineOne, News Multimedia and NewsEyeQ. 

He has wide experience of the digital world having built and sold databases and online retrieval systems in the public and private sectors before joining News International in 1987, including 3 years as Head of Information Services for the Institute of Management .Until recently he was chairman of the Newspaper Licensing Agency, a visiting professor of media information at City University and a member of the advisory group for the British Newspaper Library. 

Richard has represented both News International and Independent News & Media on the boards of a number of digital start-up companies and related industry bodies.  He has over 30 years experience of designing, building and delivering digital information and publishing systems, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Richard holds an honorary fellowship at University College London, where he is also a director of CIBER, a group researching digital consumer behaviour, and a member of the management board of the UCL Centre for Publishing, and has lectured extensively in Europe, the Middle East, the USA and Australia.  He is currently engaged on a number of consultancy contracts for, amongst others, Independent News & Media Plc, the NLA, and University College London, and serves on the board of a number of digital start-ups and industry organisations.