APN News and Media has named a new chairman and had a lucrative advertising contract with the NSW State Transit Authority bus fleet extended.

APN on Monday said announced Peter Hunt, the founder of corporate advisory firm Greenhill Caliburn, would be its new chairman from September 3.

Mr Hunt replaces Gavin O’Reilly, who stood down from the role in April.

The company also said it had been awarded a new five-year contract for advertising on about 2,000 buses in Sydney, extending a role it has held since 1987.

“It is both an exciting and challenging time to be involved in a diverse media company like APN,” he said in a statement.

As well as its outdoor advertising operations, APN publishes regional newspapers and has interests in radio networks.