Ardnacrusha’s Oakley steps down as Business Post Editor

ARDNACRUSHA’s Richie Oakley has announced he is stepping down as Editor of The Business Post.

A native of Caherdavin in Co Limerick, Richie and his family moved to Ardnacrusha in South Clare before he began secondary school at Crescent College. He studied English and Philosophy at UCD and it was during his time at college where he started writing, first for The College Tribune.

Prior to the publication of The Business Post on Sunday, it was confirmed that the forty six year old was to move on from his role as Editor and Chief Content Officer. He was appointed to the posts in July 2019 having previously been Editor of the Times Ireland edition from January 2015 to June 2019. He has held numerous roles with The Sunday Times and was brought into The Sunday Tribune by then Editor, Matt Cooper.

Oakley is leaving The Business Post to become a Director with Dublin based public relations and strategic communications agency, Murray Consultants. He described the move as “a logical decision” at this point of his career.

Under his watch, the newspaper rebranded from The Sunday Business Post to The Business Post coinciding with a move to publish material every day of the week online. Richie has also introduced digital technology, led the launch of a new website and app while overseeing the addition of the magazine titles Irish Tatler plus Food & Wine to its offering.

In a statement, Richie said he enjoyed “three fantastic years” in the role. “It has been a privilege to work with everyone and the strength of the Business Post now is testament to their hard work and loyalty to the brand”.

He added, “The Business Post Group has expanded during my three years as part of an executive-led strategy to grow the company and to match our award-winning journalism with other services. It has done so while keeping the newspaper at the centre of the group and maintaining its independence. The group now includes such well-known brands as Red C, iQuest and DNA Digital. This strategy has proven to be effective and it is testament to the vision of Enda and Colm. I know the group will continue to flourish and I want to thank everyone in the wider group for their support”.

An “excellent contribution” was made by Richie, Enda O’Coineen, publisher and Business Post Group chief executive commented. “The content has gone from strength to strength under his leadership, breaking stories that have made an impact, as well as overseeing a period of immense digital growth for the organisation. On behalf of the board and all our team, we wish him the very best of luck in his next chapter”.

Sarah Murphy, chief executive of the Business Post, said, “Richie has made a notable impact on the organisation during his time here and will be sorely missed. In the short period that we have worked together, it has been a privilege to witness the commitment, dedication and leadership that he demonstrated in the position. I wish both him and his family every good wish for the future.”

Gillian Nelis, the newspaper’s deputy editor, has been appointed acting editor with immediate effect.