An editor who ran two regional dailies and also served in director roles has died aged 85.

Tributes have been paid to Ken Thomas, who edited both the Northamptonshire Evening Telegraph and Peterborough Evening Telegraph during his career, as well as the Peterborough Citizen and Advertiser and the Corby Leader.

Ken, pictured, also served as editorial director of Emap Newspapers, where he was responsible for 76 titles.

At the time of his retirement, at the age 59, he was managing editor of the Rutland & Stamford Mercury.

Speaking to HTFP, Ken’s daughter Allison said: “He passed peacefully on 18 December with his family by his side aged 85 and has left a legacy in the newspaper industry that has been unsurpassed.

“Throughout his career he made a significant impact on the industry, in a time before the digital work was even established.”

As well as his four Emap editorships, Ken held a number of directorships during his time with the company, and subsequently Johnston Press.

He was launch director for the Boston Citizen, and publishing director and managing director in its leisure magazine division too.

Ken was also responsible for launching a training centre for Emap’s 750 journalists in his role as managing director for Emap Training Ltd.

Away from journalism, he also spent nine years as a shareholder and director of Peterborough-based PR and advertising agency Alexander Associates.

During this time, Ken worked for four years as a media consultant for Coca-Cola and was involved with the launch of Diet Coke in 1982.