London: Rebekah Brooks on Wednesday said she will be back at her desk as chief executive of Rupert Murdoch's UK newspaper operations on September 7, four years after she had quit amid the raging phone-hacking scandal.
The 47-year-old high-profile executive had resigned in 2011 in the wake of the phone-hacking scandal and was given a 16-million pound payoff by News Corp. She went on to be cleared by a British jury of phone-hacking charges last year.
"It is a privilege to be back amongst the most talented journalists and executives in the business," she said in a statement. Brooks will replace Mike Darcey, who became chief executive in 2012.
The appointment is part of a wider shake-up of News Corp's UK division, News UK, with 'Sun' editor David Dinsmore becoming chief operating officer (COO).
He will be replaced by Tony Gallagher, deputy editor of the 'Daily Mail' and a former editor of the 'Daily Telegraph'. "Rebekah will lead a great team at News UK into the digital future, while maximising the influence and reach of our newspapers, which remain the most informative and successful in Britain and beyond," said Robert Thomson, chief executive of News Corp.
"Her expertise, excellence and leadership will be crucial as we work to extend our relationship with readers and advertisers, and develop our digital platforms to take full advantage of our brilliant journalism," he said.
News Corp said Brooks' role would include added responsibilities for the acquisition and development of digital properties.
Her return to the Murdoch fold, under speculation since last week, has been described as a major comeback in British public life.
Brooks had said after being acquitted of all charges following a 138-day trial that she felt "vindicated". Her former colleague, Andy Coulson, another former 'News of the World' editor, was jailed after being convicted of conspiracy to intercept phone voicemails of several people including crime victims and celebrities.
The 'News of the World' is the subject of a police probe into the phone hacking called Operation Weeting.
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