Prospect chief executive Mark Beard. Picture: Prospect Publishing
Mark Beard is stepping down as chief executive of current affairs magazine Prospect after three years.
Beard is leaving to join Ireland’s Business Post as CEO. His successor has not yet been announced.
Prospect has credited him with helping to lead its transformation from a print-based brand into a “multi-channel media company” after he started by “fixing the plumbing” with tech improvements.
News of Beard’s departure comes three months after former Prospect editor-in-chief of four years Alan Rusbridger stepped down. Rusbridger was succeeded by former Observer contributing editor and Times chief leader writer Philip Collins.
Beard said: “My three years at Prospect have been wonderful. I’m truly grateful to have had the opportunity to transform the magazine into a multi-channel media company and I’m proud that many more people than ever before are now reading, watching and listening to Prospect’s journalism.
“Clive Cowdery has been a model proprietor, and it’s been a delight to work alongside Alan Rusbridger and Phil Collins, two editors at the top of their game.
“Finally, I’d like to thank every one of my colleagues at Prospect for their contribution over the past three years, I’m confident I’m leaving the business in the very best of hands.”
Prospect had an average monthly print readership of 15,222 in 2025 (up 1% year on year) with 23,782 for its digital edition (of which 13,357 came through all-you-can-read services like Apple News+ and Readly and the rest were paid direct subscriptions).
Collins said: “Mark has been crucial to the development of the Prospect brand and its evolution as a media company. He is an experienced and wise director and a popular colleague. We will miss him, but we wish him well and he leaves Prospect in very good shape.”
Ireland’s Business Post is aiming to have its newsroom fully funded by digital subscriptions this year following the first phase of its own digital transformation project. It had almost 12,000 digital subscribers as of July 2025.
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