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The Times and Sunday Times have lost their second marketing

director in two years with the resignation of Patrick Sherriff earlier

this week.

Sherriff is understood to have resigned suddenly on Monday and has

already left the company. He is taking a short sabbatical to travel and

consider his career options.

Senior marketing manager Marian Rose will replace him on an interim

basis.

Rose joined Times Newspapers last August from the NSPCC where she

oversaw the Full Stop campaign (Marketing, August 24, 2000).

Sherriff took on the role of marketing director in January 2000. He had

been handling the role on an acting basis for five months previously,

after his predecessor, Toby Constantine, quit to join former Sun and

News of the World marketing director Ellis Watson at new media venture

Talkcast.

Sherriff's split with News International is believed to be amicable.

During his 18 months as marketing director, Sherriff oversaw a number of

key changes to the marketing of The Times. He relaunched the Saturday

Times, introducing a new listings and entertainment guide, Play, and a

monthly football magazine The Football Handbook, changes which helped

increase circulation of the Saturday title by 16%. He was also

responsible for moving marketing strategy for The Times away from

promotions and price-cutting toward a more long-term brand-building

strategy, overseeing its 'Feed Your Mind' campaign through Rainey Kelly

Campbell Roalfe/Y&R.

As marketing and promotions manager for The Times and Sunday Times, he

was behind the successful Euro-star promotions that took The Times'

circulation to 950,000. Before joining News International, he worked as

account director for Tequila UK and as senior account manager for Orbit

International.

Times Media Group managing director Camilla Rhodes said: 'Patrick has

made a valuable contribution toward the steady growth of our titles.

During his time as marketing director he was part of the teams that

successfully re-launched the Saturday Times and saw the Sunday Times

reach a 16-year circulation high.'

Sherriff added: 'I have greatly enjoyed my time here and feel privileged

to have worked for The Times and the Sunday Times in such an interesting

period of growth.'