Ray, who quit Friary following its failed merger into Butler & Tanner's Frome factory last March, said that she felt compelled to resign due to the changes that were made at the two companies.

She said: "My resignation was due to the unsuccessful merger into Butler & Tanner, after which I found I was unable to provide a satisfactory service to Friary's customers."

Friary Press was moved to Frome following Media & Print Investment's (MPI) acquisition of the Somerset-based book printer Butler and Tanner but was subsequently relocated to Worcester after the sale out of administration of the sister company.

Following the merger, industry sources suggested that a large number of Friary Staff had chosen redundancy over relocation.

In her new role as associate director at ESP Colour, Ray will focus on improving sales to the magazine sector.

"Friary was predominantly a magazine printer, so my new remit will be following in that vein," she said.