THE chief executive of newspaper publisher Johnston Press saw his remuneration fall during a year in which the company posted heavy losses.
Ashley Highfield’s remuneration package totalled £556,000 in 2016, according to the company’s annual report. Mr Highfield’s basic salary of £430,000 was topped up with pension contributions of £115,000 and other benefits of £11,000. He did not receive a bonus. The executive’s remuneration totalled £581,000 the year before, when he was paid a £25,000 bonus.
Johnston Press, publisher of The Scotsman and Yorkshire Post, announced in March it had fallen £300 million into the red after slashing £337m off the valuation of its newspapers. The total writedowns included £43m in respect of titles in Scotland. Mr Highfield said at the time that actions taken to pilot the business through a changing market were bearing fruit.
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