MUMBAI: Brand director of Absolute Radio, Chris Lawson has put in  his papers after 18 months with the organisation, to set up a new unidentified digital venture.

Lawson, who was responsible for digital, marketing and communications at the station, will not be directly replaced, says a report in the Guardian.

His responsibilities will be divided between various executives including the chief operating officer, Clive Dickens  His digital responsibilities will be overseen by Dickens, with marketing and communications continuing under the  head of marketing, Clare Baker, and the head of communications, Cat Macdonald.

Absolute's audience figures plummeted last year after it was rechristened Absolute from the earlier Virgin Radio with management blaming at least part of the decline on listener confusion over the new name. Absolute changed its name from Virgin after it was bought from SMG by a division of the Times of India Group for ?53.2m last year.

A number of the new DJs hired for the station's relaunch have since left, including Tim Shaw, Jo Russell and Allan Lake  Its new lineup of DJs includes Frank Skinner, Dave Gorman, and long-standing breakfast presenter, Christian O'Connell.

Absolute's digital projects in the last 12 months have included the launch of a new 80s music station, Absolute 80s, replacing digital station Absolute Xtreme, and a new interactive digital station, Dabbl. It also launched comparative  music website, comparemyradio.com.

Lawson, who will leave the company on 18 December, told the Guardian,"Over the last 18 months, I'm incredibly proud of what we have achieved with the brand in such a short space of time and I say goodbye to Absolute Radio with fondness and pride.

"One Golden Square is a hotbed of talented, innovative thinking – expect great things to come from the team I've left behind as they take Absolute Radio on the next phase of its journey."

Absolute Radio had an average weekly reach of 1.59 million listeners in the third quarter of this year, according to the latest official Rajar figures, down from 2.3 million between March and September 2008, when the station still reported  on a half-yearly rather than a quarterly basis.