Chief executive appointed managing director of corporate development at Guardian Media Group

Ian McClelland, the chief executive of Guardian Australia, is moving to London after steering the company since its foundation.

Four years after establishing Guardian Australia with founding editor Katharine Viner, who is now editor-in-chief of Guardian News and Media, McClelland leaves a growing business with an audience of more than 2.8 million readers in October according to Nielsen’s monthly digital news rankings.

Now edited by Lenore Taylor, who joined as political editor at launch in 2013, Guardian Australia has picked up a swag of awards for its journalism and has increased its audience by 156%.

“It’s been a huge privilege to help launch and grow Guardian Australia, which has become a vital and distinctive news source for millions of Australians,” said McClelland, who leaves Sydney in April 2018 to become managing director of corporate development at Guardian Media Group.

“It’s satisfying to be leaving Guardian Australia in such a robust position, from our brilliant journalism to our strong relationships with advertisers and readers. The recent surge in reader support for our local journalism has been particularly reassuring, as we become increasingly reliant on our supporters to help secure our future in Australia.”

Taylor said: “It’s been a great pleasure working with Ian to adapt Guardian Australia to the changing business environment and to launch the membership program which has seen readers respond so positively to our journalism.

“Guardian Australia will continue with its primary editorial mission to tell essential Australian stories to its Australian audience and to Guardian readers around the world.”

Evelyn Webster, interim CEO at Guardian US, has been appointed as CEO of both Guardian US and Guardian Australia. Recruitment for a new local managing director for Guardian Australia has begun.

Since Guardian Australia launched its own membership scheme in July 2016 it has gained around 40,000 members. An additional 25,000 people have given one-off contributions. Guardian Australia is forecast to reach around break-even point at the end of March 2018, as planned.

The site doesn’t have a paywall and is more popular than the Australian, the Herald Sun and the Daily Telegraph websites, and last month also beat the celebrity-focused Daily Mail Australia, according to Nielsen. Guardian Australia is one of a handful of international players to set up in Australia in the past few years, including the Daily Mail, BuzzFeed, Mashable, Business Insider and the Huffington Post, which effectively shut its local operation last month.

Guardian Australia employs 40 journalists across four cities and has a total of 80 staff. The business is self-sustaining and is funded through display advertising, a local branded content studio called Guardian Labs, membership, contributions and philanthropy.

In his new role in London, McClelland will develop new products and reach new markets and customers, reporting to the GMG chief executive, David Pemsel.

“Under Ian’s leadership, Guardian Australia has grown rapidly to become a significant player in the Australian media sector, respected by our readers, advertisers and partners,” Pemsel said.

“In his new role, Ian will work closely with me to develop the Guardian’s assets, capabilities and networks to reach new markets and customers. Ian’s global experience and track record of creating growth for digital businesses will be crucial to our long-term success.”