A former group editorial director who left his job earlier this year is to return to journalism as the head of a regional magazine group.

Archant Life South East and East has announced that Simon Irwin has been appointed as the new group editor and joins the company on Monday.

Until earlier this year, Simon was editorial director of the KM Group before he left his job for reasons which the company has always refused to make public.

Simon takes over at Archant Life from Jonathan Keeble who has moved to a new role as head of communications for a health trust.

A father of two, 48-year-old Simon has more than 25 years’ experience in journalism having started out on the Mansfield Chad in the mid-1980s.

He was editorial director at KM Group for six years after joining the company as editor of the Kent Messenger in 2003.

Before that he worked for the Western Mail, Cardiff, the Derby Evening Telegraph, Radio Hallam in Sheffield, The Star, Sheffield, and the Coventry Evening Telegraph.

He was also a member of a number of national press bodies, including the Press Complaints Commission and the Defence, Press and Broadcast Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Defence.

Simon said: “I am delighted to be joining Archant Life at such an interesting time.

“I am sure that the company’s unique portfolio of magazines and websites has a great future and I look forward to playing my part in it.”