As the order changes in Sydney, News Corp chief operating officer and INMA president Damian Eales is off to a new role in New York, restructuring the global giant at group level.

The former Westpac and David Jones marketer, who joined News in 2013 takes on a new role as global head of transformation in September.

His post as chief operating officer in Australia is not being filled, and there is speculation that recently-appointed managing director of commercial content Mike Connaghan will move to next-in-line for the top job in Sydney.

The former ANZ chief executive of UK-headquartered advertising agency WPP, Connaghan's responsibilities include leading News' content marketing agency Sudden-ly - which was established by Eales - as well as audio and native content production, and a board role at Medium Rare, of which News is a shareholder.

In an email to staff, News Corp Australasia executive chairman Michael Miller said Eales will lead a team charged with creating a contemporary structure for the company "that embraces a shared services model and uses shared skills and experiences to reduce costs".

He describes Eales having been a "driving force" behind News Corp Australia's transformation and and setting it up for growth. "One of Damian's great achievements... has been aligning our goals and strategic direction," he said.

Some executives will take on additional responsibilities as a result of Eales' departure: Mark Reinke and Richard Skimin take on audience growth and consumer revenues; Michael Ford will oversee M&A and strategy, while Julian Delany will focus on digital and tech operations.

Educated in Queensland, Eales spent 14 years with upmarket retailer David Jones which he joined in 1996, having worked during university for rival department store Myer. He gained an honours degree in speech pathology.

After less than two years with Westpac as retail strategic marketing general manager, he began an upward path at News Corp Australia in early 2013 as strategic partnerships director.

He joined the board of INMA in 2014, is in his second year as its president, and is on the boards of ADMA, CarsGuide and NewsMediaWorks.