Reinvent or Be Replaced: Lessons from The Telegraph’s Karen Eccles
The importance of permanent reinvention, even for a 169 year old news brand.
As publishers grapple with AI, declining ad revenues, and shifting reader habits, the need for clarity and direction has never been greater. On the Legends of Adtech podcast from Adtech Juice, Karen Eccles, Chief Commercial Officer at The Telegraph, offered a rare account of what it takes to steer one of the UK’s most prestigious, legacy news brands…including her own personal journey.
Podcast Highlights…
Transformation as a Core Discipline
Eccles’ career — spanning classifieds, consumer magazines, Classic FM, adtech, and now The Telegraph — reflects the highly fragmented nature of media. What she’s discovered is that transformation isn’t a side project; it is the central tenet.
“Reinvention must be built into culture — a muscle exercised continuously.”
The Telegraph came to the subscription model later than most, making the shift in 2017. The move showed that a smaller, sharper commercial team could still deliver big results. But the harder question for Eccles was how advertising could thrive in a business now powered mainly by reader subscriptions. Her answer: build products that felt credible, frictionless, and remained true to the Telegraph’s brand.
This change didn’t stay in the ad team. It reshaped the entire newsroom. Editorial, marketing, and commercial had to work together in lockstep, all centred on the reader relationship. For Eccles, that’s where transformation really takes hold — how teams work together every day.
She’s honest that reinvention hasn’t always come easy. Earlier in her career, she stayed too long in a role that eroded her confidence — a decision she now sees as a mistake. The lesson, she says, is knowing when to leave: “If it’s undermining your sense of self, it’s time to go.” That perspective shapes how she approaches change today: don’t cling on, move forward.
Commercial Integrity in a Distrustful World
Audiences are increasingly sceptical of media, and Eccles underlined the risk of chasing revenue at any cost.
“Advertisers must be offered products that complement, not undermine, the reader relationship.”
At The Telegraph, that has meant focusing on partnerships and branded content that add value without weakening the subscription offer or annoying readers. The results have been noticed. A slew of industry awards (including news website of the year) gave Eccles and her team something tangible to point to: evidence to colleagues, clients, and the wider market that their commercial approach is working.
For Eccles, those awards carried extra weight. After taking a seven-year maternity gap and returning via freelancing and adtech, they weren’t just nice to have — they were proof that the strategy worked.
Difference as Competitive Advantage
One of the most striking elements of Eccles’ story is her openness about being neurodivergent. Diagnosed later in life, she described how traits such as hyperfocus and restless curiosity have shaped her work.
“Supporting difference isn’t just ethical — it’s a business advantage.”
She explained that she now works with more self-awareness, building quiet blocks of time into her schedule and recognising when to step back. For her teams, that has meant encouraging people to manage their time differently — giving colleagues space for deep work as well as time for collaboration. The standout lesson? Teams built on different ways of thinking will adapt faster and find better solutions.
She shared rare personal insights: for years, her “quiet work” happened between midnight and 3am, the only time she could hyperfocus without interruption. ADHD medication and new working habits changed that, helping her build healthier routines and encourage her teams to do the same. It’s less about labels, she says, and more about understanding how people really work best.
Collaboration, Not Isolation
Eccles’ leadership at the Association of Online Publishers (AOP) and Ozone shows the value of collaboration. Ozone, for example, combines the scale of The Telegraph, The Guardian, News UK, and Reach into a single advertising platform.
“No brand can solve systemic challenges alone. Industry alliances are not distractions; they are competitive advantages.”
The payoff has been real. By pooling inventory and data, Ozone has given publishers a stronger pitch to advertisers who want both scale and quality. At the same time, the AOP has provided a forum for sharing strategies on everything from privacy regulation to revenue diversification.
For Eccles, these roles aren’t just extracurricular. Sitting on the Ozone board and chairing the AOP, she sees them as a way to stay close to industry challenges, spot structural trends early, and bring that knowledge back into her day job.
Journalism Under Pressure
Eccles is also clear that the future of publishing will be decided less by format — print, web, app, podcast — than by whether journalism itself retains visibility and value. She warns that discovery systems which fail to prioritise fact-checked reporting risk creating a “race to the bottom,” where credible journalism is drowned out by content of lower quality.
“The future depends on defending intellectual property, protecting copyright, and ensuring platforms value fact-checked reporting.”
For publishers, this means pressing for fair licensing, building recognition for their journalism, and ensuring readers can still find and trust their work. If they fail to act, they risk being reduced to raw material for platforms that capture the value of their reporting without paying for it.
Asked what she’d change instantly if she could, Eccles didn’t hesitate: “Protecting copyrights and content creators’ IP — right now.”
Five Imperatives for Publishers
Reinvent routinely: Treat transformation as ongoing work, not a phase.
Protect trust relentlessly: Every product must strengthen, never weaken, credibility.
Harness difference as strength: Neurodiverse and varied teams fuel innovation.
Join forces, don’t go it alone: Alliances like AOP and Ozone deliver scale and resilience.
Fight for journalism’s worth: Demand fair value, copyright protection, and visibility.
Final Word
Karen Eccles’ point is simple: reinvention can’t be a one-off. The publishers that thrive will be the ones that stay ready for change, lean into difference as a strength, and work together to protect journalism’s value.
Her conversation with Julia Linehan on Legends of Adtech brought that urgency into focus.