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Mail's only woman executive departs after row with Dacre

Updated 5.50pm: The Daily Mail has lost its last female senior executive. Lisa Collins, who had been running the life and style pages (and previously edited Femail), left the paper last Wednesday in acrimonious circumstances.

Her staff were said to be shocked when she left the day after telling friends of a confrontation with the editor, Paul Dacre.

In the past, Dacre had let it be known that he had great respect for Collins. It had even been suggested that she was editor material.

But they had become much more distant in recent months before their reportedly heated exchange.

According to a Mail source, Collins had railed against the paper's well-known requirement for executives to work very long hours.

The Mail issued a terse staff announcement on Friday saying that Collins had gone, but did not elaborate on the circumstances.

It is claimed by a friend of Collins that Dacre gave her an ultimatum. She could have £100,000 to leave immediately or she could work for four mornings a week in return for half her salary.

When she did not reply within the designated 24 hours, a senior executive called her to demand an answer. She refused to give one, saying she was seeking legal advice. She left the building soon after.

Several of Collins's colleagues have let it be known that they are genuinely upset about her departure. There have even been hyperbolic claims of turmoil in the department this week because of the crucial role she played.

What is undoubtedly true is that Collins was the last senior female executive working day-to-day on the paper, though there are several woman in lesser positions - and a woman, Nicole Mowbray, is taking over the life and style pages.

The Femail editor is a woman, Maggie O'Riordan, and there are other women in junior executive roles. But one female Mail journalist did remark: "It's all about blokes in this place."

Updated section: A Daily Mail spokesman said: "The facts of the matter are not as you describe them. For legal reasons, we cannot go into the exact details. We can however confirm that the figures you have are incorrect, as is the timescale and order of events."

He added: "The editor had gone to great lengths over a number of years to accommodate Ms Collins's family commitments and problems, and she was accorded extraordinarily privileged working practices and perks afforded to no other executive on the Mail to give her the flexibility her domestic circumstances required.

"When it finally became clear that - despite our best endeavours - she was unable to make the contribution, or keep the hours expected of a highly paid senior executive at the paper, the editor made her an exceptionally generous offer to work four mornings a week or negotiate a pay-off."

He disputed that the meeting between Collins and Dacre was heated, saying that the editor's remarks "were measured and compassionate."

The spokesman denied that Collins was given a 24-hour ultimatum. In fact, he said, "it was agreed that she would continue coming into the office so that discussions could continue. However, two days later, she called in sick and said she was placing the matter in the hands of lawyers.

"After that she refused to take repeated calls from the managing editor, Alex Bannister."

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