Steve Mallia will take over as editor of The Sunday Times tomorrow, succeeding Laurence Grech, who has retired from the post and been appointed editorial adviser to Allied Newspapers Ltd.

The management of Allied Newspapers, publisher of The Times and The Sunday Times, paid tribute to Mr Grech, saying that for over four decades he had served the newspaper with unstinting loyalty and dedication.

Managing director Vincent Buhagiar said: "Laurence has earned friendship and respect, both inside and outside the building, and under his guidance The Sunday Times has established itself as Malta's leading newspaper.

"His wealth of knowledge and experience will continue to serve us well in his new role as one of the group's editorial advisers," Mr Buhagiar said.

Mr Grech, 59, joined the Times of Malta as a cub reporter on January 7, 1963. He became sub-editor of The Sunday Times of Malta in December of that year, becoming assistant editor in 1967.

In 1970 Mr Grech became deputy editor, and succeeded Anthony Montanaro as editor on March 11, 1991.

From 1976 to 1988 Mr Grech was parliamentary editor and chief parliamentary reporter for The Times. He has been the Malta correspondent for ANSA, the Italian news agency, since 1985, and for DPA, the German press agency (international service) from 1988 to 2007. Mr Grech was a Fellow of the Salzburg Seminar in American Studies in 1981.

Mr Mallia, 36, has been a journalist and sub-editor at The Times for the past nine years. In that time he has covered a number of major events, locally and overseas, as well as carrying out high-profile interviews.

Mr Mallia spent two years as a youngster at De La Salle College in Malta, but was raised mainly in the UK. He read law and politics at the University of Nottingham and qualified as a barrister after completing his postgraduate education at the Inns of Court School of Law in London.

Herman Grech has been appointed deputy editor of The Sunday Times, where he will also take responsibility for news content.

Mr Grech, 37, has been a journalist with The Times since 1997. He has covered major events, both locally and overseas, and carried out interviews with several leaders and personalities.

Educated at De La Salle College, Mr Grech went on to work at Mid-Med Bank (now HSBC), obtaining a Certificate in Banking, before joining The Times.

Four-time winner of the national award to journalists in the print category, Mr H. Grech has contributed to several international news organisations. He is also editor of M magazine, an in-house publication distributed with The Times.

He succeeds Malcolm J. Naudi, who has taken up an appointment as deputy editor on the newspapers' new business desk. The main function of this Business Desk is to provide business content to all group media.

Mr Naudi, 46, joined Allied Newspapers Ltd in 1979 and, after working in the newsroom of The Times, joined The Sunday Times as a sub-editor in 1980. In 1991 he was appointed deputy editor. He was executive editor of The Sunday Times Motoring and edited the business pages, apart from other responsibilities.

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