Bartle replaces the former J Walter Thompson chairman Jeremy Bullmore, who retired from the GMG board at the end of 2001, having served as a non-executive director since 1988.
Bartle, who is 57, was until 1999 the chief executive of BBH, when he left the agency after 17 years to focus on other interests. He has taken a number of non-executive board positions since leaving BBH, including the non-executive chairman's job at interactive media agency I-Level and non-executive chairman of Educational Communications.
Bartle has only had three jobs in his 34-year career, having spent eight years at Cadbury Foods, where he worked on Smash. He was then at TBWA for nine years, until founding BBH in 1982.
Bartle said: "This is a wonderful opportunity to join one of Britain's leading media groups at such an exciting and challenging time in the communications business. I know the businesses well from my agency days and have been a lifelong reader of The Guardian and Observer newspapers. I am greatly looking forward to working with my new colleagues."
Bartle is also is a non-executive director of COI Communications, the government's communications agency, and of Constellation Corporation, a human resources services group. In addition, he is acting as an adviser to the Barnardo's charity and is currently president of NABS, the communication industry's charity.
Paul Myners, chairman of GMG, said: "We are delighted that John has agreed to join us. He brings a wealth of relevant experience from the advertising and agency worlds and I am greatly looking forward to the contribution that he will make to our deliberations across the whole range of our wide portfolio of media businesses."
Paying tribute to Jeremy Bullmore, Myners added: "GMG owes Jeremy Bullmore a great debt of gratitude for his distinguished service as a director of the company during a crucial period of its development. I have greatly appreciated his wisdom and advice in the two years since I have been chairman. The board will miss him greatly."
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