Recently installed News Corp CEO Julian Clarke has already moved to reverse changes made by predecessor Kim Williams, putting general managers in place across east coast business units.

Williams made sweeping changes to the way the publisher operates last year, making deep cuts in sales and editorial teams, and merging many divisions to form single stand-alone units.

Among the changes Brett Clegg, recently returned from a stint heading up the Australian Financial Review, will be the NSW executive general manager, and Peter Clark will hold the same role for the Herald and Weekly Times in Victoria.

Both men will report to Jerry Harris, executive group director, commercial and operations.

In an email circulated to News Corp staff on Friday Clarke said: “In the short time since my appointment I have been particularly impressed by the enormous amount of work that has been done to move our company forward, much of which I am eager to keep in place.

“However, we do need to make some changes to the way we structure our east coast business units to ensure we grow by getting closer to our customers and their communities.”

In the wake of Williams’ sudden departure there was conjecture his radical changes to the system, which saw the establishment of a national sales unit, had left some sales teams feeling disconnected from core markets.