Barnes, the managing director of Oxigen and a former ad director of the Mail on Sunday, joins the Independent just weeks after it revealed it was overhauling its sales operation.
Procter, who joined the paper from its sister regional operation three years ago, resigned to join MediaForce around the same time as the shakeup was announced.
Terry Grote, the managing director of the Indepedent, has introduced a more proactive approach to advertising sales and placed a greater emphasis on clients and media planners.
Barnes' remit covers The Independent and The Independent on Sunday and he will take up his new job on September 13.
The Independent hired communications planning agency Experience in June to develop new commercial opportunities following the success of the compact edition.
Experience will work with Barnes to create a new positioning for the title to reflect its improved performance. In the latest set of figures from the Audit Bureau of Circulations, the Independent increased its sales by 0.2% to 262,086 copies. Its circulation was up 17% year on year.
Grote said: "The transformation in the fortunes of The Independent over recent months resulted in an impressive array of candidates for this important position.
"We are delighted that we have been able to secure the services of such a well respected and experienced person as Simon."
If you have an opinion on this or any other issue raised on Brand Republic, join the debate in the .
_1.jpg)
.jpg)
