Annette Thomas has been appointed to the board of media and publishing company Pearson as an independent non-executive director.

She will take up her new role in October, when she will join Pearson’s reputation and responsibility committee and the nomination and governance committee.

Thomas is chief executive of Guardian Media Group, and was previously CEO of the Web of Science Group at Clarivate Analytics. She has also served as CEO for various operations of Macmillan Publishers, including Nature Publishing Group, Digital Science, Digital Education and Macmillan Science & Education.

Thomas is a trustee of Yale University and her previous non-executive board experience includes periods at Clarivate Analytics, Cambridge University Press and OCR, part of Cambridge Assessment.

Pearson chair Sidney Taurel said: “Annette is a proven and highly impressive CEO and board member who has a great depth of relevant experience operating within the learning, digital and consumer media sectors. Her extensive data and analytics experience will be invaluable to Pearson as we aim to broaden our digital footprint and reach more consumers globally.”

In other board moves at Pearson, chair Sidney Taurel has informed the board of his intention to retire as chair and step down from the board no later than the 2022 AGM.

Taurel said: “It’s long been my intention that, with a new chief executive firmly in place and with strong foundations from which Pearson can grow, I would plan to step down from the board.

“The unveiling of our new strategy in March 2021 provides clarity regarding the future direction of the company and a platform from which we can deliver sustainable growth, creating value for all stakeholders. With good initial progress being made on the execution of this strategy I believe this year is the right time to conduct a search for a new chair for Pearson’s next chapter.”