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The BBC has denied that the appointment is a reaction to Hutton and says it announced it was looking for a head of communications for BBC News prior to the report, which savaged the corporation and its editorial standards.

Ironside Wood moves over in April from the BBC's commercial arm BBC Worldwide, where she is director of communications. She is a former chief press officer for ITN and head of press for GMTV, which she joined directly from a three-year period at TV-am.

A priority for Ironside Wood will be to improve BBC News's reputation, which took a battering during the Hutton Inquiry into the death of weapons expert Dr David Kelly.

In her new role she will act as a focal point for leading the integrated marketing, communications and audiences agenda in BBC News and will report to BBC head of communications Sally Osman with an operational line to director of news Richard Sambrook.

Sambrook was the subject of intense criticism in the wake of the Hutton Report and it was predicted at one point at he would follow director-general Greg Dyke, chairman Gavyn Davies and 'Today' programme reporter Andrew Gilligan out the door.

In a statement the BBC said that the creation of the new role of head of communications for BBC News follows a decision taken in January 2003 to reshape marketing and communications in the division.

Alison Kelly, who held the more junior role of head of news publicity, has joined the BBC's central communications team to work on the Charter Review following her return from maternity leave last November.

Ironside Wood joined BBC Worldwide in 1997 after extensive experience in broadcast PR. As well as ITN and GMTV she was previously a director of Namara Cowan PR, whose clients included Channel 4 Television, Michael Caine, The British Jazz Awards and The Monkees.

She has also run the press office for LBC/IRN and has worked as private secretary to Lord Longford at Sidgwick & Jackson Publishers after beginning her career in the record industry working for Pye Records.

According to Osman: "Janie has extensive experience of marketing and communications within broadcasting and in particular in news and current affairs. She is a substantial figure both in the BBC and within the communications industry."

In her role at BBC Worldwide, where she reported to chief executive Rupert Gavin, she led the external and internal communications teams for the company's global TV, channels, magazines and publishing businesses.

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