Los Angeles Times editor Russ Stanton departs suddenly after four years.

The Los Angeles Times announced on Dec. 13 that Executive Vice President and Editor Russ Stanton will step down from his position on December 23. The Times' Managing Editor Davan Maharaj will assume Stanton's role.

Stanton, 52, "has been an outstanding editor for the Los Angeles Times over the past four years," Times President and Chief Operating Officer Kathy Thomson said in a news release. He joined the company in 1997 as a business reporter.

Having served as the managing editor for news since May 2008, Maharaj, 49, oversaw the Foreign, National, Metro, Sports and Business departments. He has worked for the company since 1989 and will become The Times' 15th editor.

Stanton and Maharaj have worked together since 2008 "to help transform The Times newsroom into a fully-staffed, 24-hour operation, delivering news across multiple platforms including digital, mobile, video and print," says the release.

Stanton's leadership boasts many successes for The Times, including significantly growing its monthly readership to over 17 million unique readers and winning three Pulitzer Prizes.

Thomson said of Stanton in a release, "As he moves on to the next phase of his career, we are extremely fortunate to have someone as talented and experienced as Davan Maharaj who can step in immediately with energy and vision for how to continue The Times’ advancement in the digital age."