Background
News UK is a British newspaper publisher and wholly-owned subsidiary of News Corp. As the publisher of The Times, The Sunday Times, and The Sun, they sit at the heart of the UK media landscape.
The media industry is evolving rapidly, and News UK recognised the need to stay ahead through innovation. They wanted to deliver new AI-powered products that would set them apart in an increasingly competitive market. At the same time, they were looking to reduce their reliance on expensive contractors and build sustainable internal capability.
La Fosse has worked with CTO Tom Jackson to help News UK “build and grow their own” team, creating talent pipelines capable of meeting the organisation’s evolving data and technology demands.
The challenge
News UK faced a common tension: the need for specialist technical expertise to drive innovation, combined with pressure to manage costs and reduce contractor dependency. Simply hiring more contractors was not a sustainable solution, and traditional recruitment alone would not build the long-term capability the business needed.
They required a partner who could help them think differently about talent, blending immediate technical firepower with a pipeline of emerging professionals who could grow into future leaders.
The solution
La Fosse deployed the Academy model, placing 18 Associates across Data and Technology. This created a newly formed AI and Innovation team working alongside News UK’s permanent staff on two projects designed to deliver groundbreaking AI products.
We enhanced their team further through our recruitment offering, bringing in highly skilled technical experts with the right cultural fit who could contribute immediately to News UK’s digital transformation.
The real value came from the blended team approach. By pairing junior Associates with seasoned contractors working as product managers, business analysts, and project managers, we accelerated Associate development while freeing up senior experts to focus on strategic delivery. Associates quickly built not only technical expertise but also the skills needed to manage and deliver complex product projects. They took on BAU and lower-level tasks, ensuring the wider team could concentrate on what mattered most.
The results
Through this combined Academy and Recruitment approach, News UK has expanded and strengthened their engineering capability. They have built an agile, high-performing team ready to meet future challenges and growth objectives.
The model has delivered cost savings and efficiencies while reducing heavy dependency on expensive contractors. News UK is now leading innovative digital transformation projects, positioning themselves at the forefront of innovation in the media industry.
