A managing director who left a regional publisher as part of a management shake-up this summer has a new job with a Midlands-based brand agency.

David Simms, left, who served as MD for Trinity Mirror East Midlands until August, has taken on the role of group sales director for Champions (UK), based near Loughborough.

David departed TM along with Richard Duxbury and Michelle Gesell in a move which saw the company’s remaining regional MDs take on responsibility for larger regions.

The East and West Midlands regions, for which David and Michelle were responsible respectively, have been merged with the Avon area of the company’s South-West operation to be overseen by Sarah Pullen.

Champions publishes three luxury lifestyle magazines – Inspirational Birmingham, Inspirational London and Aspirational Magazine – which are funded by advertising and distributed free to hotels and boutiques.

Since taking up his new role, David has already secured a partnership with The Magazine Sales House (MHS) to expand their reach of advertisers.

Other recent job moves in the regional press and related sectors include the following:

* Ryan Tute has been appointed as a reporter at construction industry magazine and website, Infrastructure Intelligence. He has previously worked as a reporter at the Hackney & Islington Gazettes, Romford Recorder, Blackpool Gazette and Dundee Evening Telegraph.

* Daily Mail sports reporter Andy Warren has joined the East Anglian Daily Times as Ipswich Town writer. Andy has also previously worked for the Swindon Advertiser as deputy sports editor.

* James Preston has been named deputy editor at the Slough & South Bucks Express, Windsor, Ascot & Eton Express and Maidenhead Advertiser. He was previously digital editor working across the three Baylis Media-owned titles.

* Ryan Cryle has moved from the role of deputy chief sub-editor at the Aberdeen Evening Express to become head of sport at the DC Thomson title.

* Charlene McElhinney has been appointed to the role of lifestyle editor at the Strathclyde Telegraph.

* Yorkshire Post crime correspondent Rob Parsons is switching roles to become the paper’s new political editor.  A replacement crime correspondent has yet to be hired.

* Suzanne Breen has been made political editor of the Belfast Telegraph.  She was previously senior Northern correspondent for the Irish Times and northern editor at the Sunday Tribune.

* William Mata has become chief reporter at the Times of Tunbridge Wells, replacing Adam Hignett who left last month.  William has previously worked as a reporter at the Harlow Star and Stroud News & Journal.

* Stuart Anderson has become chief reporter at the North Norfolk News and the Eastern Daily Press’s North Norfolk edition, moving from the role of reporter at the EDP and Wymondham and Attleborough Mercury.  He has been replaced in the latter role by Jacob Massey.

On the move yourself?  Let us know at [email protected] or via @journalism_news on Twitter.