Independent News & Media has appointed Allan Marshall, a senior executive at the Telegraph Media group, as a non-executive director of the company.

It follows the resignation of David Reid Scott earlier this week.

Mr Reid Scott was the seventh director to retire from the company in eight weeks. His resignation left the board of INM with only four members – in breach of its own articles of association which require a minimum of five board members.

It is understood that the decision to appoint a new board member was taken after the company sought legal advice from senior counsel.

INM’s other four board members are chief executive Vincent Crowley, Frank Murray, and Denis O’ Brien’s representatives, Paul Connolly and Lucy Gaffney.

It is believed that the company’s decision to co-opt Mr Marshall onto the board had been in train for some months prior to the fractious agm earlier this month, which led to the departure of chairman James Osborne and chief financial officer Donal Buggy.

The company remains without a chairman following the departure of Mr Osborne last week.

Mr Osborne had succeeded Brian Hillery as chairman last October.

Mr Marshall began his career in newspaper publishing in 1971 at a regional newspaper in Australia, before moving into editorial management.

In 1987 he joined the Evening Standard in London, and was appointed a director of Associated Newspapers Ltd in 1994.

He is currently heading up the Telegraph Media Group’s technology strategy.

Paul Connolly, a director of INM who represents shareholder Denis O’Brien on the board, is taking a legal challenge against the company over a €1.87 million exit package paid to former chief executive Gavin O’Reilly who left the company in April.