News UK has appointed Ben Walmsley as digital commercial director at The Bridge, its commercial division.

Walmsley was previously regional VP, Northern Europe, at Sizmek. Prior to that, he led Yahoo! EMEA’s business development team, delivering search and data-driven display products.

Walmsley is joining The Bridge to lead digital sales, advertising operations, advertising product strategy and business development, following its recent relaunch. He will oversee the commercial digital advertising strategy for the Times, the Sunday Times and the Sun.

Dominic Carter, chief commercial officer of News UK, says, “Ben brings with him many years of digital experience that will be invaluable as we look to build and develop our commercial digital offering as part of the ongoing digital transformation of the company.”

“The Bridge is about bringing together our data, insight and creativity – Ben will play a key role in tying together the digital aspects of that integration and in delivering effective, targeted campaigns for our clients.”

Walmsley says, “This is an exciting time for news brands in general and the News UK portfolio in particular. With the Times and Sunday Times offering a high-quality subscriber audience and the Sun a mass market proposition, News UK can offer clients a wide range of opportunities to reach highly-engaged audiences at scale with innovative advertising products.”