A long-serving regional daily editor who left his role two months ago has taken up a new job with a marketing and PR company.

Champions (UK) has appointed Steve Hall, left, as communications director following his exit from the Derby Telegraph in November.

At the time of his departure from the Telegraph, Steve was editor-in-chief of Reach plc’s East Midlands titles and had worked in the regional press industry for 36 years.

Family-run business Champions, which is based near Loughborough, has a team of over 90 and consists of 10 in-house departments specialising in different areas of marketing and communications.

Of his new role, Steve told Insider Media: “I have worked with Champions on a number of projects in my previous roles and have always been impressed by their professionalism and commitment to delivering excellent results for the businesses they represent.

“I’m delighted to now be on board and to help our clients share their exciting stories with key audiences.”

At Champions, he joins former Trinity Mirror East Midlands MD David Simms, who is the company’s group sales director.

John Hayes, chief executive of Champions, said: “We are thrilled to add Steve to our board of directors. He brings a number of qualities to Champions and his valuable experience in media will help to support our high quality outputs.”

Under Steve’s leadership, the Telegraph was named newspaper of the year at the Regional Press Awards in 2016, while he himself was named editor of the year at the 2012 awards after a successful campaign to save Derby’s Bombardier rail factory.

He was replaced as editor-in-chief by Marc Reeves, whose portfolio takes in all Reach newsbrands across the East and West Midlands, with Julie Bayley now serving as editor of the Telegraph and its sister website Derbyshire Live.

Before taking over at Derby for his first spell as editor in 2005, Steve edited the Express and Echo in Exeter, then a daily title, for seven years.

He became managing director of the Telegraph in 2012, but returned to the editor’s chair four years later as well as being appointed to his wider role as regional editor-in-chief, also overseeing the Nottingham Post, Leicester Mercury and Burton Mail.