Hearn’s departure had not been officially confirmed by the group at the time of writing.

She joined Polestar from Diageo as human resources director in July 2002, replacing Geoff Garwood, and having previously held senior HR roles at Diageo and ICL. After Polestar’s 2006 refinancing, Hearn became chief operating officer with responsibility for the group’s manufacturing and printing operations.

It is not clear whether the role has been made redundant.

Polestar was acquired by the European wing of Sun Capital Partners in April, leading to speculation about whether the group’s new owners would want to make changes to the executive team.

A source close to Polestar said: "Inevitably there will be further change. Although you can see why Sun would want to reduce the board costs I can’t see that business functioning without someone in a senior operational role."

In June, PrintWeek was informed that Hearn would be leaving the business later in the year, but this was denied by Polestar chief executive Barry Hibbert at the time.