Pearson PLC (LON:PSON) has announced the prospective appointment of Andy Bird as its new chief executive.
Bird, a non-executive director of Pearson, will move into the hot seat on October 19, taking over from John Fallon, who will leave the board on that date. Fallon announced his intention to retire in December of last year.
The new boss is a media veteran, having previously been the chairman of Walt Disney International; before that, he was at Time Warner AOL.
Bird was at the forefront of digital change at Disney, transforming its route-to-market, product portfolio, and consumer insight available to the business, Pearson said.
"We are delighted to have secured someone of Andy's calibre, after an extensive search and selection process. Andy brings a wealth of international consumer experience, as well as significant expertise in building brands, transformational change and driving digital innovation. He is an inspirational and dynamic leader with an excellent track record of growth,” said Sidney Taurel, the chair of Pearson, in a statement.
"Because of his experience and skills, he is extremely well placed to continue the transformation of Pearson, leading it to a new era of growth and enhancing value for all our shareholders,” he added.
Taurel paid tribute to the outgoing chief executive, John Fallon, saying he had "significantly simplified, modernised and re-shaped Pearson".
Shares in Pearson were up 0.7% at 582.2p in early deals.