The former CEO of regional newspaper company Archant has become chairman of the National Landlords Association.

Adrian Jeakins headed up Archant, whose titles include the Eastern Daily Press and the Ham & High, for nearly six years until 2014.

He was also president of the Newspaper Society during that time.

At the NLA he takes over from Carolyn Uphill, who was chairman from 2013.

Jeakins said: “Carolyn has been a fantastic chairman, and the growth of the NLA during her tenure has been great to see.

“I’d like to thank her for all her hard work, and to praise her for the dedication and passion she has shown in standing up for landlords and championing the important role they play in providing much-needed homes.

“I too want to put our members at the heart of everything we do and my focus will be to ensure that they have the support they need to make a success of renting homes.

“I look forward to helping the organisation continue to grow our membership and to improve our strength in numbers, which I believe is crucial if we want to enhance our authority and better assert the landlord’s perspective to policy makers and in public debate.”