He takes over from Bill Murray of Haymarket publishing, who has chaired AOP since its creation in July 2002.
Mr Waldman, who already chairs the AOP consumer research group, will take up his two-year appointment at the AOP conference on 4 October.
Simon Waldman, who was only appointed last week to his role as group director at GMG, said: "I'm delighted and privileged to be taking the chair at AOP at this fascinating and crucial time for our industry.
"The organisation brings together a unique mix of media owners - and its growth over the past four years is a testament to the spectacular efforts of Alex White [director of AOP] and Bill Murray.
"However, in these rapidly changing times, there are always new challenges to be faced, and I hope that in the coming years AOP can continue to provide a valuable service to its members, and remain at the forefront of debate about the future of digital publishing."
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