Thompson replaces John Duncan, who is leaving to go to the US. She will report to Observer editor Roger Alton and Carolyn McCall, chief executive of Guardian Newspapers.
Thompson has been managing editor of The Independent and Independent on Sunday since 1999. Since joining the Independent for its launch in 1986, she has held a numer of senior posts including home news editor and associate features editor. She began her career with the East Anglian Daily Times and then the Sheffield Morning Telegraph.
According to Alton: "Jan brings a unique blend of editorial and commercial expertise gained from both national and regional press. During almost 20 years at The Independent she played a vital role in developing the paper, especially in the last couple of years during the Indy's format change from broadsheet to tabloid."
The Observer's January ABC figure was 446,818 and The Independent on Sunday's was 206,527.
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