Wired Sussex, the support and networking agency for digital media companies, has appointed a new boss.

The membership-based organisation has recruited Phil Jones, former managing director of the Extreme Sports Network for American media giant Liberty Global.

He replaces Nick Underhill, who left Wired Sussex in the summer for a job at trade association the Producers' Alliance for Cinema and Television.

Mr Jones's task will be to keep Brighton and Hove at the forefront of the digital media industry and help retain as much talent in the city as possible.

He said: "The challenge is to support our members as they continue to set the industry agenda in convergence and in social media and across new revenue streams.

"These companies will help secure Brighton and Hove's status globally as Britain's centre of digital media excellence."

Meanwhile, Alex Morrison, managing director of Brighton-based online marketing company Cogapp, will serve as chairman, taking over from Alan Bealby.

A Wired Sussex spokesman said the appointments reflected the organisation's expanding remit in terms of the variety of services it provides, the growth in the number of companies it represents and the growth of the digital media industry itself.

Mr Morrison said: "Wired Sussex is the largest organisation of its kind in Britain and a unique collaboration between companies that might otherwise be competitors.

"This is the sort of networking that Brighton does better than anywhere else and one of the reasons why the prospects for the local industry are so good. I'm looking forward to working with Phil and the team. They do brilliant work for the community and will do even more as their plans come to fruition.' Brighton-based Wired Sussex was established in 1997 and became a subsidiary of the business support organisation Sussex Enterprise a year later.

Since then it has operated as a separate business, providing new media firms with online information, networking opportunities and business support.

Jim Brathwaite, head of regional development agency Seeda who was instrumental in setting up Wired Sussex, said: "The last ten years has seen nothing short of a revolution in terms of the digital media industry in Brighton - and Wired Sussex have been at the forefront of that."