Paul Davidson, the chairman and chief executive at Newsquest, has started in his role as president of the Newspaper Society.

Paul has been chairman of Newsquest Media Group since August 2003, and chief executive since August 2001.

He began his newspaper career with Thomson Regional Newspapers, where he worked for six years in advertising sales and management roles. He then formed his own sales training and management consultancy business before joining Newsquest -then Reed Regional Newspapers – at the South London Guardian in 1988.

He was appointed to the main board at the beginning of 1994 and became deputy chief executive of Reed Regional Newspapers in June 1995. He assumed his previous role as group managing director in September 1997.

Paul succeeds Sir Nicholas Hewitt, chairman and managing director of the Barnsley Chronicle.

He takes over during a year of excitement and innovation in the regional press, as publishers continue to expand their businesses into multimedia communications centres – all focused on the core aim of providing local news and information to their communities.

The £4bn regional press sector employs more than 50,000 people, has 1,300 newspaper titles, more than 600 websites, 400 niche and lifestyle magazines, 20 radio stations and two TV channels.

New digital channels and services, built around the trusted newspaper brand, are enabling publishers to reach new audiences and offer increased targeting opportunities to advertisers.

Russell Whitehair, chairman of North Wales Newspapers, and a member of the Independent Publishers’ Forum and the Newspaper Society’s PERA committee, is the new vice president.