Impress, the regulator set up as an alternative to Ipso, has expanded its team by appointing a chief operating officer: Ed Procter, the former chief executive of Sport Resolutions, the body that settles disputes across a range of British sports.
According to its announcement, Procter will be responsible for developing the organisation’s operational capability.
The Impress chief executive, Jonathan Heawood, said: “We are very pleased that someone as experienced and knowledgeable as Ed has chosen to join us at this point in our transformation.
“Ed played a substantial role in developing Sport Resolutions into the premier independent arbiter of sport disputes in the UK.
“Now our members will have the benefit of working with one of the UK’s leading experts in regulation and compliance with a broad range of experience in advertising, newspapers and the criminal justice system.”
Procter said he had chosen to work for Impress “because I believe there is a need for a truly independent regulator to implement the Leveson reforms.”
Impress is planning to seek recognition under the royal charter on press regulation, which was created in the aftermath of the Leveson inquiry and report.
It has signed up 14 small publishers who wish to be regulated by it. Their applications are undergoing compliance checks at present.
Ipso, the regulator set up by the overwhelming majority of the UK’s newspaper and magazine publishers, will not seek charter recognition.
NB: The Guardian, Financial Times, Independent and London Evening Standard have not agreed to join either regulator.
