Keith J. Kelly

Keith J. Kelly

Media

Globe publisher to step down

After 30 years at the paper, Boston Globe publisher Christopher Mayer said he plans to step down as part of the business transition under new owner John Henry.

Henry, who also owns the Boston Red Sox, bought the paper from the New York Times Co. in October for $70 million. NYT Co. originally purchased it in 1993 for $1.1 billion.

Mayer ran the business side of the paper and its websites for the past four years and is credited with returning it to profitability.

In a memo to employees Thursday, Mayer said, “It is a new year and with it comes the promise of change. New ownership brings the opportunity of greater investment in the business and a new way to look at tackling the challenges that face us. It also brings the opportunity for a new start. To that end, with an eye toward the future, both the Globe’s and my own, I will be stepping down as publisher.”

No replacement was named.

Henry said in a statement, “We are in Chris’s debt for his nearly three decades of service and extraordinary leadership guiding the Globe through its most challenging days and for the professional way he has overseen this major transition.”