The Royal Gazette is happy to announce the return of Dexter Smith to the company in the position of Deputy Editor (Head of Sport).

Mr Smith, 52, who was formerly Sports Editor of this paper and The Mid-Ocean News, has spent the past 13 years abroad working for the sports department of The Times in London. During that period, The Times continually set the standard for journalism in Britain with numerous awards for its writers and departments.

Mr Smith’s return is only one part of an internal restructuring process at The Royal Gazette in which Jonathan Kent has been appointed Deputy Editor (Head of Business).

Adrian Robson, who has dutifully performed as Sports Editor for the past 19 years, has moved on to the news desk as Associate Editor and Heather Wood, the former News Editor, now heads up The Royal Gazette Lifestyle section.

The Times sports section was named No. 1 in Britain for five of the past eight years, with the added distinction in 2013 of The Times owning the titles of Newspaper of the Year and Sports Newspaper of the Year. As a senior sub-editor in the sports section, Mr Smith was integral to the smooth running of an operation that is the envy of Fleet Street.

After unprecedented and award-winning coverage of the London Olympics last year — “Nothing in our careers will top what we have just done,” Times Sports Editor Tim Hallissey said in a post-London 2012 pat-on-the-back speech — Mr Smith saw a return to Bermuda as the next logical step in his 31-year career as a journalist, effectively, to “give something back”.

He added: “It was a tremendous experience to work for such an Internationally renowned company as News UK but it is good to be back where I started. It is a big, wide world out there, but the love affair I have with Bermuda could never be broken. I hope that I can bring many of the lessons learnt in the UK to enrich the experience of our local readers and also our brand.”

Tim Hodgson, editorial consultant for The Royal Gazette, said: “It is with open arms that we welcome back Dexter into the fold. It is a good day for the newspaper that someone of his experience and dedication can become available to strengthen the newsroom.”