Prior to joining the company, O'Brien, who said he was "in his element" returning to the printed media, held roles at FT Business and Puzzler Media.

This England Publishing's magazines, which include This England, Evergreen and Beautiful Britain, each have a circulation of around 200,000 – a figure O'Brien plans to increase in his new position.

He said: "Having worked in the media industry for many years now, I’m happy to say I’m returning to print media and am back in my element. People still want a tangible, printed product they can wonder at.

"Magazines now find themselves with a new role in the digital age, with many struggling to compete with the online publications. However, all three of our magazines are going from strength to strength."

The magazines, which have a combined readership of more than 500,000, are printed at William Gibbons through Webmart.