Archant chief promises there will be no conflict of interest

New City director Stephan Phillips promised there would be no conflict of interest between his place in the boardroom and as managing director of Archant Norfolk, publishers of the Norwich Evening News and Eastern Daily Press.

New City director Stephan Phillips promised there would be no conflict of interest between his place in the boardroom and as managing director of Archant Norfolk, publishers of the Norwich Evening News and Eastern Daily Press.

His role at Carrow Road would not influence what appeared in print or on the company's websites, he insisted.

"The company has a very clear policy on editorial," he said. "That is that the editors decide what goes in our newspapers and websites and they're the people who choose the content and decide how it's going to be portrayed and in that sense they have total editorial freedom.

"That's really important because we would lose the support of our readers and I think fans would see through it if it wasn't independent. That integrity is one of the reasons people buy our newspapers and go to our websites. My role with the football club here will not change that in any way, shape or form."

Phillips, 54, one of City's associate directors before yesterday's announcement, ruled out any investment from Archant in the club, but said there were areas where they could work together for the benefit of both parties.

He said: "Archant are already significant shareholders, as you probably realise. I am also involved with the associate directors' group. At the moment Archant itself is not looking to make any investment in non-media companies. It's really about how we work together to develop the club with what we've currently got."