Former Western Mail editor David Cole has died, aged 74.

He was the youngest editor of the title when he was appointed in 1955, aged 27.

He went on to become managing director of Thomson Regional Newspapers and deputy managing director of the International Thomson Organisation and in 1977 received the CBE for services to journalism.

He was twice chairman of the Press Association and has been president of the Newspaper Society.

He began his career in newspapers at the Merthyr Express, his home town paper, before moving to the South Wales Echo and then the Daily Graphic in Manchester, where he was made northern features editor.

David helped launch a Sunday newspaper, Empire News, in Cardiff when he was 25, then became editor of the Western Mail two years later, increasing its circulation by more than 30 per cent to 102,000 within three years.

While there he was appointed managing director of Western Mail & Echo Ltd, and became a founder member of the Thomson Regional Newspapers board.

In 1968 he switched to another part of the group to take charge of The Journal, Evening Chronicle and Sunday Sun as managing director in Newcastle.

His executive career path saw him become circulation and planning director and then assistant managing director of the group before being appointed Thomson Regional Newspapers' MD and chief executive in 1972, later becoming chairman.

Then in 1980 he became deputy managing director of the International Thomson Organisation, as well as being chairman of Thomson Books and later chairman and chief executive of Thomson Information Services Ltd.

He remained chairman of Western Mail & Echo Ltd after 1986 when he retired from his other roles for health reasons.

Away from his career in journalism he was also chairman and president of the Civic Trust for Wales, a director of the Welsh National Opera, a governor at Cardiff College of Music and Drama, part of the 1963-4 working party on Welsh tourism and a leading member of the University of Wales Press.

He received an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from the University of Wales in 1989.

David died on the day before his 75th birthday and leaves his wife, Mary, children Deborah and Robert, as well as three grandchildren.

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